From Neuron to Brain: A Cellular and Molecular Approach to the Function of the Nervous System [Hardcover]

John G. Nicholls (Author), A. Robert Martin (Author), Bruce G. Wallace (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0878935800 | ISBN-13: 978-0878935802 | Publication Date: September 1992 | Edition: 3rd

Up-to-date third edition which presents a coherant description of the nervous system from the perspective of modern work on molecular biology, cellular and developmental biology, biophysics, neurophysiology, neurochemistry and neuroanatomy. The scope of the book has been broadened with entirely new chapters on the biophysics and molecular biology of membrane channels, indirect mechanisms of synaptic transmission, the cellular and molecular biology of synaptic transmission, nervous system development, sensory receptors and systems, and motor systems. To accommodate this new information other subjects have been abbreviated or ammalgamated. Permeating the book are new concepts derived from experiments at the molecular level. Techniques such as patch clamping, gene cloning and expression, the use of monoclonal antibodies, and site-directed mutagenesis not only deepen but often simplify the presentation of topics related to signaling, synapse transmission, plasticity and development.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 808 pages
• Publisher: Sinauer Associates Inc; 3rd edition (September 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878935800
• ISBN-13: 978-0878935802
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,273,256 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough text book, November 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: From Neuron to Brain: A Cellular and Molecular Approach to the Function of the Nervous System (Hardcover)

"From Neuron to brain" is a very good thorough text book, with a level that I would rate as a good MA or PhD class. Altough it is not as detailed as for example Candells book, it has two great advantages: It is concise, and quite readable. It definetely rates as a TEXT book that you can actually read, unlike some other books whose use in the end is often a REFERENCE guide, not a text to learn from.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCELLENT INTRODUCTION TO NEUROSCIENCE, September 15, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Neuron to Brain: A Cellular and Molecular Approach to the Function of the Nervous System (Hardcover)

In the Preface to this Third Edition, the authors state,"we have chosen not to provide a comprehensive account of modern neurobiology. Rather, we describe in detail those topics that provide a coherent account of how molecular and cellular approaches can be used to study the workings of the brain. We have tried to retain the flavor of the previous editions and to convey the excitement of observing single molecules as they alter their configuration to produce electrical signals, and of correlating those signals with higher functions of the nervous system such as perception."

Here are some representative quotations from the book:

"However, out of the billions of neurons in the human brain, relatively few appear to contain biogenic amines---such cells number only in the thousands. What is more, many of the cells containing these transmitters are clustered together in a discrete region of the brain, the brain-stem." (Pg. 330-331)
"Pain itself remains an elusive and difficult concept, beyond the scope of this book. In sharp contrast to the analysis of visual, auditory, or somatosensory systems, a discussion of 'pain,' with its high emotional content, of necessity deals with subjective matters---feelings akin to 'anguish' and 'suffering' that cannot at present be expressed in the language of neurobiology..." (Pg. 497)
"In discussions of this type at this stage, the dreaded homunculus makes his appearance---the cell or the little man in the brain who actually sees what we see. To ridicule this concept is both fashionable and a sure sign of sophistication. Nevertheless, the homunculus does have a useful function: He represents and continually reminds us of our ignorance about higher cortical function. As soon as answers are found, he will die a natural death like phlogiston. We have no way as yet to replace him by a computer." (Pg. 648-649)
"In spite of the conspicuous advances in our understanding of higher functions, we are still woefully ignorant about how the complete scene of the world around us is fabricated by the brain. It is now possible to find cortical cells that respond to a highly complex pattern, and hints are emerging about how small parts of the picture are put together. Yet we cannot even begin to discuss how the sight of a laughing child will make us smile, or how the Eroica symphony conjures up emotions not to be expressed in words." (Pg. 678)

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good intro to neurobiology, November 26, 2000

By 

Howard Schneider (Thornhill, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Neuron to Brain: A Cellular and Molecular Approach to the Function of the Nervous System (Hardcover)

Comprehensive introduction to the field of neurobiology. Good descriptions of molecular level experiments are provided. As well, a full chapter is devoted to an overview of the nervous systems of the leech and Aplysia.