The Neuron: Cell and Molecular Biology [Paperback]

Irwin B. Levitan (Author), Leonard K. Kaczmarek (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195145232 | ISBN-13: 978-0195145236 | Publication Date: December 15, 2001 | Edition: 3rd

The third edition of The Neuron provides a comprehensive first course in the cell and molecular biology of nerve cells. The first part of the book covers the properties of the many ion channels that shape the way a single neuron generates varied patterns of electrical activity, as well as the molecular mechanisms that convert electrical activity into the secretion of neurotransmitter hormones at synaptic junctions between neurons. The second part covers the biochemical pathways that are linked to the action of neurotransmitters and can alter the cellular properties of neurons or sensory cells that transduce information from the outside world into the electrical code used by neurons. The final section reviews our rapidly expanding knowledge of the molecular factors that induce an undifferentiated cell to become a neuron, and then guide it to form appropriate synaptic connections with its partners. This section also focuses on the role of ongoing experience and activity in shaping these connections, and finishes with an account of mechanisms thought to underlie the phenomena of learning and memory.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The text is impressively modern, with up-to date information on the trendiest areas of neurobiology . . . .the book is highly visual, with figures on virtually every page. The figures deserve special comment because they are a teacher's dream: simple and uncluttered, but conceptually powerful. Frankly, although the recommendation is often absurd, The Neuron is one of those books that really does belong on every shelf. "--Nature

"The format of each chapter is ideally suited for easy, enjoyable, and almost effortless learning . . . This is a superbly written and well-illustrated text covering all of the major aspects of neuroscientific knowledge . . . every neuroscientist should keep a copy handy."--Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience

"This is a first-rate textbook for a course in cellular neurobiology for upper-level university students. My colleagues and I took it out on a shakedown cruise with a class of 250 undergraduates. The wind really caught their sails, and we sped quickly through it in the ten weeks of the academic quarter. The students appreciated the consistent clarity and the uniformity of style. The illustrations are highly conceptual and were easily understood . . . The up-to-date presentation of many exciting recent findings is a great strength. General principles are illustrated with a useful blend of data from vertebrate and invertebrate systems."--William S Messer, Jr., in The Quarterly Review of Biology

"An outstanding, easily readable, and quite up-to-date overview of fundamental neurobiology."--Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences

"The authors have produced an extremely well-integrated, highly readable, soft-cover volume which can introduce students of neuroscience into the field, and graduates into a refresher and review on recent developments in a most readable and logical progression, beginning with the cell, both neuron and glia, and progressing through the complexities of neuronal networks."--Journal of the Neurological Sciences

About the Author

Irwin B. Levitan is at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Leonard K. Kaczmarek is at Yale University School of Medicine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 632 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 3rd edition (December 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195145232
• ISBN-13: 978-0195145236
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #221,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable, June 9, 1999

By 

K. W. "pianowizard" (Providence, RI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Neuron: Cell and Molecular Biology (Paperback)

I have compared several neurobiology textbooks and this one is my favorite. It's almost like a novel, very enjoyable. It emphasizes understanding of important concepts rather than throwing an overwhelming amount of facts at the students. And the organization of the material is great. There is an updated edition now, and I look forward to reading it.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Neuron details, November 26, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: The Neuron: Cell and Molecular Biology (Paperback)

The molecular biology of the neuron is considered, from its electrical properties, synapses, differentiation, axon pathfinding, to chapters concluding with behavior and memory. Well written and includes easy to follow schematic diagrams, this reference is suitable for the motivated general reader.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful text, January 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Neuron: Cell and Molecular Biology (Paperback)

This is one of the few molecular neurobiology textbooks available to the serious student. Overall, it is a very well written text, up to date, and quite detailed.

There is one weird quality about the book, however: the authors have not directly referenced statements in the book, as you would expect to find in any good advanced textbook in a scholarly field. They have instead written a bibliography at the very end, consisting of "Recommended Reading" and "References" for each chapter. I am unsure what criteria they used to differentiate the two.

Other than this minor point however, it's a first rate buy. The authors deserve several pats on their backs.