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This new edition presents an up-to-date, comprehensive overview of the GABAB receptor system, including a particular focus on the most recent therapeutic applications and potential. This receptor system has been implicated in several diseases and disorders, including gastroesophageal reflux disease, epilepsy, mood disorders, depression, and alcohol and substance use disorder. The authors, leading researchers in the field, explore a number of approaches, including medicinal chemistry, molecular biology, physiology, and preclinical and clinical pharmacology. The new edition is completely reworked and updated, featuring the latest pharmacological advances on baclofen and positive allosteric modulators.

This book provides clinicians with a comprehensive resource on the topic of respiratory complications of neuromuscular disease. It includes chapters by neurologists, pediatric pulmonologists, adult pulmonologists, anesthesiologists, and sleep physicians. The book begins with a review of the pathophysiology and epidemiology of the neuromuscular diseases that affect the respiratory system. It then includes chapters on pediatric concerns and the transition from pediatric providers to adult providers. There is additionally a focus on various therapeutic approaches and the monitoring of noninvasive ventilation. Finally, it includes a chapters on secretion clearance, palliative care and end of life decision making. The book appeals to a broad medical audience including adult pulmonologists, pediatric pulmonologists, respiratory therapists, nurses, sleep medicine providers, and neurologists.

This fourth edition offers a practical guide to endovascular treatment of cerebrovascular disease and provides a comprehensive reference for the related neurovascular anatomy and the various disorders that affect the vascular system. Chapters cover fundamental principles underlying cerebral and spinal angiography; interventional techniques, devices, and practice guidelines; and commonly encountered cerebrovascular disorders for which interventional and endovascular methods are appropriateBuilding on the previous edition, the text is presented similarly in style and scope to emphasize accessibility and ease of reading. All chapters are fully updated to include more recent data, and obsolete products and techniques are replaced with the most current technology. Some key updates include:A greater emphasis on the use of radial artery access for the discussed endovascular techniques.The associations of COVID-19 with ischemic stroke and the implicationsof providing care for cerebrovascular patients during a pandemic.An extensive update to the acute ischemic stroke chapter with new references and format to more closely follow the format of other chapters in that section.Expansion of the pediatric sections of disease chapters, including discussions of genetic associations with disease. This is an ideal guide for clinicians and trainees in neurology, neurosurgery and neuroradiology, as well as practicing clinicians in related fields caring for patients with cerebrovascular disease.

This book synthesizes knowledge about the myriad ways music can support the physical and psychosocial needs of people living with neurological diagnoses. It may be a useful tool for those working or training as music therapists, as well as clinicians and patients interested in the use of music and rhythm to address individualized healthcare goals. The editors of this book advocate for a collaborative, holistic approach to the implementation of music-based interventions, acknowledging that different (and at times, conflicting) approaches do exist – and that different patients may require exploration of different approaches to have their needs and desires met in ways most meaningful to them. The book's many contributors embody this desire to hold space for wide-ranging views on clinical practice through the ways they share their own perspectives as music therapists, neurologists, nurses, speech and language pathologists, and neuroscience researchers from across the globe.Each chapter is centered around clinical work in context with a specific patient community – be that a diagnosis (e.g., movement disorders), shared culture (e.g., autistic culture), disease stage (e.g., end of life), or targeted clinical need (e.g., psychosocial support and/or functional performance) – and features a summary of available research with case examples and clinical descriptions to highlight different conceptualizations of the role of music in the care of patients with neurologic diagnoses.

This book covers the intersections between neurointervention and neurology, neurointervention and neurosurgery, and neurointervention and other specialties. It fills the gap in the literature by placing specific emphasis on appropriate patient selection, preparation, and post-procedural management. Concise and comprehensive, this text covers the increasingly important aspects of the neurointerventionalist profession, as it has moved away from a purely technical role to a focus on clinical care. In addition, the most rapidly expanding area of neurointervention, ischemic stroke, is thoroughly examined in this text, where other texts on this subject fail. It is also meant as a reference for non-neurointerventionalists who may desire to learn more about how their patients can benefit from the therapeutic or adjunctive techniques that the neurointerventionalist can provide. Neurointervention in the Medical Specialties, Second Edition is an essential guide written for neurointerventional specialists from all backgrounds, both in practice and in training

The hypothalamus is an anatomically small but functionally important part of the brain. In functional and pathophysiological terms, the hypothalamus represents the intersection of several areas of clinical and medical expertise. The human hypothalamus can be astutely referred to as the crossroad of endocrinology, psychiatry, neurology and neurosurgery. Because of its involvement in myriad physiologic functions and the varied ways disorders involving it can manifest, hypothalamic disease can initially come to medical attention in widely disparate settings and with widely different clinicians. Therefore, the detection and proper care of hypothalamic dysfunction and disease often requires carefully coordinated multidisciplinary care.This volume fills a significant void in the medical professional community, comprehensively presenting the scope of hypothalamic structure, function, dysfunction and disease to cater to the various clinical, teaching and researchprofessionals that have a stake in this part of the human brain. This text captures in one place all the information that practicing clinicians, clinician scientists, and researchers need to be adequately informed about various aspects of the hypothalamus in all its complexity. It is comprehensive and broad in scope so that it provides relevant reference information for the wide range of professionals involved in the pre- and post-mortem detection, diagnosis, characterization, care and management of various hypothalamic disorders and diseases in addition to providing a sound anatomic and physiologic foundation of the normal human hypothalamus. The Human Hypothalamus can be used to differing degrees by medical professionals and students alike, finding utility for interested general clinicians, medical school and allied health professional teaching faculty as well as subspecialists in domains as wide as neurosurgery, neuroendocrinology, clinical psychiatry and neuro-oncology.

This book offers a comprehensive review of the most common infectious diseases that affect the nervous system. Written by international experts, it provides a guide to clinicians for accurately diagnosing and treating these challenging syndromes. Organized into six sections, the book presents didactic, up-to-date information on the following topics relating to central nervous system (CNS) infections: diagnosis and evaluation of the patient, bacterial, viral, fungal and mycobacterial infections, disorders of the spinal cord, and a myriad of miscellaneous infections. Chapters specifically reflect and look to resolve the common obstacles clinicians face in the field, such as having unknown etiologies on the majority of CNS infections, insensitive and slow microbiological techniques, an increasing number of immunosuppressed individuals with atypical presentations and pathogens, and a lack of standardized diagnostic algorithms. A complex yet accessible addition to the Current Clinical Neurology Series, Neurological Complications of Infectious Diseases invaluably examines a wide range of infections that have neurological complications and sequelae.

This book offers valuable guidance to neurointensivists, other neurocritical care staff, and those desiring to develop a neurocritical care unit via a thorough discussion of neurological emergencies and neurocritical care unit organization.This comprehensive volume begins with a review of acute neurological emergencies as managed clinically in the neurocritical care unit. Topics include acute cerebrovascular, neurological, and neurosurgical disorders. The unique aspect of this book is its description of the organization of the neurocritical care unit. We focus on how other services in the hospital interact with and assist neurocritical care operations, telemedicine/telestroke, and neurocritical care personnel and their roles. A review of expected outcomes of neurocritical care conditions is also included.Neurointensivists, neurocritical care unit staff leadership, hospital administrators, and those interested in developing a neurocritical care unit will find Neurointensive Care Unit: Clinical Practice and Organization to be an invaluable guide.

An up-to-date comprehensive overview of the GABA B receptor system with a particular focus on the most recent therapeutic applications and potential. This receptor system has recently been implicated in several diseases and disorders including gastroesophageal reflux disease, epilepsy, mood disorders, depression, and alcohol and substance use disorder. The authors, leading researchers in the field, explore a number of approaches, including medicinal chemistry, molecular biology, physiology, and preclinical and clinical pharmacology. This overview provides a translational perspective on the potential of the GABA B receptor pharmacology.

Neurointervention in the Medical Specialties is a first-of-its-kind reference that serves as a bridge between the neurointerventionalist and the physicians who most frequently look to these specialists for answers to some of the most intractable problems they face. Providing background on the wide range of diseases treated through neurointervention along with the indications and alternatives to such treatments, this landmark title is grouped into four parts: an introduction to the tools and anatomical structures that are integral to the field; disease processes most often encountered by neurologists, cardiologists, and vascular surgeons; those diseases more frequently treated by neurosurgeons; and finally those diseases first seen by several other specialties including ophthalmologists and head and neck surgeons. Importantly, each chapter includes details of neurointerventional technique and case discussions that are sufficiently detailed to provide a treatment template and guidance to neurointerventionalists in training and practice. At the same time, the descriptions provide referring physicians with insight into how neurointerventional procedures are performed. Finally, there are several concluding, thought-provoking chapters that examine what new opportunities await the field of neurointervention on the horizon. Neurointervention in the Medical Specialties is a major contribution to the literature and invaluable resource for all clinicians and researchers interested in this exciting field.

This well-written text thoroughly addresses two quality of life issues in patients with a variety of neurological disorders: sexual and reproductive function. The de vasta stating effects of a variety of neurological diseases are well known to both the lay and medical communitIes, and are treated in numerous texts. However, as we continue to experience therapeutic breakthroughs in the tields of neurology and rehabilitation medicine, physicians and patients must become more aware of the issues discussed in this text. It is particularly important, as emphasized throughout the chapters, that the physician or therapist initiate conversations with the patients concerning both the possibility of parenting a child, as well as the ability of the patient to enhance his/her sexual functioning. Commonly in the patient who is otherwise perfectly normal, there is a reluctance to discuss these topics and couples often feel embarrassed to initiate a conversation with their physi­ cians. This reluctance to initiate a discussion is even more apparent in patients with a variety of neurological disorders, in which there are overriding fears concerning both function and survival, as well as deep concerns about their own attractiveness, and their sexual and repro­ ductive ability.

It is an honor to be asked to write a foreword for this timely book, which assembles contributions from authorities working in the area of pathological nervous system cell death, and has been expertly edited by Vassilis Koliatsos and Rajiv Ratan. That the inap­ propriate demise of brain or spinal cord cells is at the root of many neurological diseases has been appreciated since the early days of microscopic neuropathology, but it has only been in the last decade or so that pervasive therapeutic nihilism has lifted. In the journey of medical progress, we have reached the shores of a marvelous new land. Three major scientific thrusts in particular have converged to produce the press of ideas covered here. First, burgeoning information about the fundamental nature of central nervous system cell--(;ell signaling, both the fast signaling mediated by conventional neu­ rotransmitters and the usually slower signaling mediated by neuromodulators and growth factors. A central theme emerging in recent years has been the duality of these signaling mechanisms, which serve the nervous system in health, but which can become the very mediators of neuronal or glial cell degeneration in disease settings. Glutamate-mediated neurotransmission and excitotoxicity have been the defining and best-studied examples, but many other examples have also emerged. Second, delineation of the molecular under­ pinnings of programmed cell death, and an appreciation of their awesome power.

Neuroprotection has been placed on a firm scientific basis during the past decade due to an improved understanding of the molecular basis of neurological diseases and the knowledge that treatment of neurological disorders should not be merely symptomatic but preventative against the progression of the underlying disease, as well as regenerative. The Handbook of Neuroprotection serves as a comprehensive review of neuroprotection based on knowledge of the molecular basis of neurological disorders. Neuroprotective effects of older, established drugs, as well as new drugs in development, are well documented in this detailed volume, featuring the most cutting-edge and innovative methods currently in use. In-depth and authoritative, The Handbook of Neuroprotection features a compendium of vital knowledge aimed at providing researchers with an essential reference for this key neurological area of study.

The first edition of Seizures in Critical Care: A Guide to Diagnosis and Therapeutics, which appeared in 2005, filled an important need in the ar- mentarium of the neurological, neurosurgical, and medical intensivists who deal with seriously ill patients in the ICU setting. Unlike epilepsy, as it u- ally presents in the outpatient department, seizures in ICU patients are nearly always secondary phenomena that signify that something is seriously amiss in very ill patients with primary medical or surgical disease. The job of the int- sivist is to identify the cause of the seizure or seizures, examine the myriad of potential contributing factors, and provide appropriate management and tre- ment that takes all aspects of the patient's illness into consideration. As in the first edition, Dr. Varelas and his associates recognize the extreme importance of prompt recognition, diagnosis, and sophisticated management of seizures in this group of seriously ill patients. Dr. Varelas has now recollected his group of contributors and produced a new and up to date compendium of what one needs to know in order to work effectively in this difficult and demanding area. A welcome addition to the new edition is the chapter by Friedman and Hirsch on the role of continuous monitoring in the ICU which is essential for the diagnosis and treatment of nonconvulsive seizures as these may be the most common form of seizures in this setting but are often missed in the evaluation of patients in stupor or coma.

As sites of action for drugs used to treat schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease, dopamine receptors are among the most validated drug targets for neuropsychiatric disorders. Dopamine receptors are also drug targets or potential targets for other disorders such as substance abuse, depression, Tourette's syndrome, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Updated from the successful first edition,'The Dopamine Receptors'serves as a reference work on dopamine receptors while also highlighting the areas of research that are most active today. To achieve this goal, authors have written chapters that set a broad area of research in its historical context, rather than focusing on the research output of their own laboratories.

Brain Hypoxia and Ischemia explores the various aspects of cell death and survival that are crucial for understanding the basic mechanisms underlying brain hypoxia and ischemia. Chapters focus on a panorama of issues including the role of ion channels/transporters, mitochondria and apoptotic mechanisms, the roles of glutamate/NMDA, mechanisms in penumbral cells and the importance of intermittent hypoxia and gene regulation under these stressful conditions. The volume explores findings from both mammalian and invertebrate model systems and their applicability to human systems and diseases. Careful consideration is also given to differences in hypoxia and ischemia across development. This volume aims to increase the understanding of these mechanisms and to stimulate research on better diagnosis and treatment of diseases that afflict the brain and potentially other organs when O2 levels are dysregulated. Brain Hypoxia and Ischemia is designed for neuroscientists, clinicians and medical/graduate students for use in both basic research and clinical practice.

Over the past three decades, carotid artery stenting has evolved to become a promising and viable alternative to carotid endarterectomy, especially for patients deemed to have high surgical risks. In Carotid Artery Stenting: The Basics, Jacqueline Saw and a panel of international experts on carotid artery stenting discuss in depth the details of all contemporary aspects of carotid stenting, while reviewing supporting studies, guidelines, technical perspectives, and peri-procedural management. This textbook serves as a learning resource on the multifaceted management of patients with carotid artery stenosis, with the key focus on extracranial carotid artery stenting. Additional sections detail the specifics of setting up and maintaining a laboratory and discuss the preparation of the carotid artery stenting procedure from both the patient and operator's perspective. Authoritative and highly practical, Carotid Artery Stenting: The Basics is an accessible guide and valuable resource for today's cardiologists, radiologists, and vascular surgeons.

In this new edition, Practicing Neurology: What You Need to Know, What You Need to Do, the latest volume from our Current Clinical Neurology™ series, Rahman Pourmand takes readers through the process of treating neurological conditions from evaluation to emergencies. For each condition, Pourmand provides basic facts, key definitions, step-by-step instructions for conducting a concise physical examination, neurologic signs to watch for, treatment strategies, and the prognosis. In Part I, the author outlines neurological history and examination, highlighting some common neurological constructs while elucidating the most up-to-date neurodiagnostic tests and procedures. Part II details common neurological conditions including stroke, seizure and epilepsy, central nervous system infections, complications from alcohol, dizziness and vertigo, headaches, sleep disorders, and back and neck pain. In Part III, neurological urgencies and emergencies, such as comas, status epilepticus, brain edema, transtentorial herniation, metastatic epidural spinal cord compression, acute meningitis, delirium tremens, Wernicke's encephalopathy, myastenia gravis crisis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and temporal arteritis are covered in detail.

A Certain Kind of Wisdom In Plato's Apology, the Greek philosopher Socrates is on trial to defend himself against the allegation of corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates denies this charge and offers an alternate reason for why he is on trial. He explains, “[w]hat has caused my reputation is none other than a certain kind of wisdom. What kind of wisdom? Human wisdom, perhaps(1). ” He proceeds to tell the story of his friend Chaerophon, who once asked the Oracle at Delphi whether there was anyone wiser than Socrates. The Oracle answered that there was not. Socrates did not agree and thought that he would try to prove the Oracle wrong. And so he set about seeking out Athenians with a reputation for wisdom in various regards in order to test their claims to knowledge through questioning. He discovered many with false claims to knowledge and none with genuine wisdom and ultimately concluded that he was the wisest. He reached this conclusion not because of any special knowledge he possessed that others did not, but rather because he recognized his own lack of knowledge and strived to learn more, while others thought that they were kno- edgeable but were not. Socrates'conclusion that there is wisdom in recognizing the limitations of accepted knowledge represents the motivation for this book.

A panel of international psychiatrists, neurologists, clinical psychologists, and neuropsychiatrists review for the clinical neurologist those aspects of psychiatry that impact the management of neurological disorders. On the one hand, the authors illuminate the neurological aspects of such psychiatric disorders as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, hysteria, catatonia, addictions, and personality disorders. On the other hand, they also explain in detail the psychiatric evaluation of the neurological patient and discuss the behavioral aspects of the major neurological disorders, including psychiatric complications of dementia and stroke, neuromuscular disorders, the psychiatric aspects of Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, Huntington's disease, Tourette's syndrome, and multiple sclerosis. Comprehensive and timely, Psychiatry for Neurologists helps to close the artificial gap separating neurology and psychiatry so that neurologists feel comfortable managing the psychiatric aspects of the neurological disorders they treat.

It was 6 AM and the New Orleans Hilton lobby was dotted with young neurologists in suits wandering aimlessly, many mumbling to themselves, all with the eyes of a rough night on call. This was the morning of my Oral Board examination. Despite three years as a neurology resident, additional time as a fellow, and the experience of having performed probably more than 1000 neurological examinations by this time, I was deathly afraid of what this day would bring. The exam organizers had met with us the day before and given the overwhelming message to “RELAX. ” Certainly, this is sound advice prior to any examination, but the requisite for passing is kn- ing the material. This requires preparation, as well as practice. An excellent first step is to use Eroboghene Ubogu's Neurology Oral Boards Review in the months before you begin studying for the Boards in earnest. A quick read will provide an internal assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, which should guide the study plan. The major neurology textbooks, which anyone sitting for the Boards should already have in their possession, should be studied. Finding a senior faculty member to quiz you is very helpful. There is no substitute for finding one of your former re- dency supervisors or a senior colleague in your group practice to perform a simulated Oral Board session.

Despite major advances in the understanding of stroke mechanisms that have occurred over the past quarter century, stroke continues to rank among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Although currently it may be difficult to believe, early doubts were expressed as to whether inter­ ventions in risk factors for either coronary disease or stroke would actually lead to a reduction in the incidence of these disorders. However, large clini­ cal trials in hypertension, carotid disease, atrial fibrillation, and antithrombotic and antiplatelet therapies have effectively demonstrated the efficacy of these targeted interventions in reducing stroke incidence. More recently, after earlier uncertainty regarding the role of elevated lipids as a risk factor for stroke, clinical trials of the statins have also demonstrated a significant reduction in the incidence of ischemic stroke. However, as em­ phasized in Handbook of Stroke Prevention in Clinical Practice, despite these gains and the initial decline in stroke incidence that did occur in the 1960s and 1970s, the incidence of stroke disappointingly has failed to show a fur­ ther significant decline since that time. The editors of Handbook of Stroke Prevention in Clinical Practice raise the very important question of whether recognized strategies for stroke preven­ tion have been widely or effectively implemented. They correctly empha­ size the critical importance of identifying the mechanism of stroke in each patient so as to properly direct prevention and treatment. As Dr.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating and dehumanizing illness affecting increasingly large numbers of elderly and even middle-aged persons in a worldwide epidemic. Alzheimer's Disease: A Physician's Guide to Practical Management was written by selected clinicians and scientists who represent some of the world's leading centers of excellence in AD research. The editors are proud and grateful for their profound contributions. This book is particularly designed to assist physicians and other health-care professionals in the evaluation, assessment, and treatment of individuals with AD. At the same time, by illuminating the basic scientific background, we hope to provide state-of-the art information about the disease and possible future therapeutic strategies. The recent psychiatric treatment aspects of AD are also clearly presented. Because the early diagnosis of the dementia process is now considered of increasing importance, we focus particularly in several chapters on early changes and preclinical conditions, such as mild cognitive impairment and predementia AD.

A comprehensive survey on the use of bedside skills and perimetric devices to the test visual fields, and how to interpret the results. To develop the clinician's interpretative skills, the authors include a chapter on visual anatomy and an atlas of 100 real-life cases arranged in anatomic order from retina to striate cortex. By placing a brief clinical vignette with a visual field on one side of the page and a description of the field and its causal lesion on the opposite side, the reader will be able to learn interpretation in a simulated clinical setting. An additional quiz section of twenty randomly arranged visual fields provides readers with an opportunity to test their newly acquired skills.

An international panel of expert clinicians and leading scientists comprehensively review the clinical and basic science of this disease and its relatives, including acquired neuromytonia and Lambert-Eaton syndrome. For the clinician, the book describes the wide range of signs and symptoms that make these diseases difficult to diagnose, review in depth the available diagnostic methods and their limitations, offer practical treatment recommendations based on years of experience, and discuss several promising treatments now emerging. For the basic scientist, the text illuminates neuromuscular structure and function, describes in detail the acetylcholine receptor (the central target of pathology in myasthenia gravis), and illuminates the autoimmune pathogenesis.

Seizures are frightening events. They frighten the patients who experience them; they frighten those who witness them; they also frighten many physicians who have to deal with them. Most individuals with seizures present to family physicians or to emergency room physicians. However, despite the fact that seizures are among the most common neurological conditions, most general practitioners, family practice specialists, and intemists do not see large numbers of patients with seizures. Given the apoplectic appearance of generalized tonic clonic convulsions, it is not difficult to understand why they arouse such emotional responses in those that experience them, those that witness them, and those whose care is sought for them. Seizures are symptoms of something wrong with the brain. Many different kinds of perturbations in brain anatomy, chemistry, or physiology can produce seizures. For many individuals, seizures occur in the context of an acute illness and will not recur once that illness is treated. These individuals do not have epilepsy. They have transient disturbances in brain function attributable to systemic medical conditions. It is important to recognize these issues, because, first, the seizure may be the initial, or even only, manifestation of the underlying medical problem and this needs to be recognized.

Gert Ter Horst and a panel of recognized experts illuminate the complexities and importance of heart-brain and brain-heart interactions in human health. These distinguished authorities critically review what is known about autonomic control of the heart, hypothalamo-pituitary- adrenal modulation, heart pain, modulation by humoral factors, and the relationship between cognitive/neuropsychiatric disorders and heart disease. Highly relevant and up-to-date, The Nervous System and the Heart offers the first comprehensive treatment of the important mutual interactions of the heart and the brain. By integrating specialist knowledge in cardiology with that from neuroscience, this important book constitutes a brilliant guide to today's novel approaches to neural control of the heart and consequent reduction of cardiovascular mortality.

The human brain represents about 2% of the body weight, yet it accounts for approximately 20% of aerobic metabolism. This high dependency on energy-consuming processes is mainly caused by the active transport of ions, which is necessary to compensate for the transmembrane ion currents that are part ofthe complex signaling processes in the brain. Ninety-five percent ofthe brain's ATP is derived from mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Since that organ's storage capacity for oxygen is minimal, any interruption of oxygen delivery to brain cells willlead to changes in membrane excitability and, there­ fore, to disruption of neuronal signaling within seconds. It seems that mamma­ lian brain is especially vulnerable to such an interruption, since oxygen deprivation leads to activation of ion channel mechanisms in neurons that impair their communications. Thus, the function of the brain as a coordinator of vital homeostatic reflexes, and complex body reactions to external challenges, depends critically on the rate of oxygen delivery and oxygen consumption. Oxygen delivery depends on two variables described in the Fick relation­ ship: volume flow rate ofblood and the arterial oxygen content. A reduction in either of these two variables will have serious effects on vital brain func­ tions. Reduction of arterial blood flow to the brain can be caused by cardiac arrest, shock, carotid occlusion, Of hypotension (global ischemia). Oxygen content is progressively decreased in asphyxia (including drowning).

An unprecedented review of our current knowledge of the neuroinflammatory mediators and cells involved in neurodegenerative diseases. Beginning with a detailed review of our current concepts of which biochemical mediators are involved in neuronal loss and the mechanisms of cell death, the distinguished contributors critically examine those areas of current research involved in the design of specific pharmacological agents to inhibit at defined points in the neuroinflammatory cascade. They also address the molecular, cellular, and disease model actions of first-generation agents, as well as the potential clinical relevance to AIDS-related dementia, Alzheimer's disease, amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Down's syndrome, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and stroke.

Distinguished medical researchers from around the world review novel neural reconstructive techniques that appear to be beneficial for Parkinson's disease and hold promise for treating Huntington's disease, pain, demyelinating diseases, and stroke. The contributors focus on those diseases for which clinical trials are either ongoing or likely to occur in the near future. Among the topics reviewed are results and rationale for some of the leading transplant programs for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, the use of PET scanning for patient evaluation, autopsy studies of transplant recipients, transplant immunology, fetal tissue transplantation for Huntington's disease, cellular transplantation for the treatment of pain and stroke, and transplantation of myelinating cells. A full discussion of the important ethical issues surrounding the use of fetal tissue for transplantation purposes is also included.

In Neuroprotective Signal Transduction prominent researchers and clinicians focus on how inter- and intracellular signaling mechanisms prevent the degeneration and death of neurons occurring in both acute and chronic neurodegenerative disorders. Authoritative contributions dissect the signaling pathways of an array of neuroprotective factors-ranging from neurotrophins (NGF, BDNF, NT-3, and NT-4/5), to growth factors (bFGF, IGF-1, GDNF), to cytokines (TNF, IL-1b, and TGFb), to secreted amyloid precursor proteins, to protease nexin-1. Also treated are cytoprotective signaling events that occur within injured neurons independently of intercellular signals. Neuroprotective Signal Transduction presents fundamental, cutting-edge treatment of the cellular and molecular signal transduction pathways found in human neurodegenerative conditions. The book's elucidation of the molecular cascades evolved by the nervous system to protect itself is now lead to effective strategies for preventing neuronal degeneration in such conditions as stroke, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and will form the basis for powerful new drug discovery and gene therapy strategies.

Expert researchers critically review and evaluate the most common and important neurotoxins used today in neuroscience research. Each informative chapter thoroughly describes the significant mechanisms of action of a neurotoxin, as well as fully discussing the limits on their use and their clinical applicability. Several clinically oriented chapters are significant for neurologists treating Parkinsonism, for psychiatrists treating drug abuse and neurodegenerative disorders, and for primary care physicians treating patients with appetite suppressants. Highly Selective Neurotoxins provides all the basic knowledge needed to obtain a predictable experimental outcome with these neurotoxins.