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This volume showcases recent high-quality work relating to the pathophysiology, biophysics, monitoring, and treatment of traumatic brain injury and hydrocephalus that was presented at the 15th International Symposium on Intracranial Pressure and Brain Monitoring (ICP), held in Singapore in November 2013. The included papers derive from experts in neurointensive care, physiology, physics, engineering, and neurosurgery who have made important contributions in this translational area of research. All were selected from among oral and oral-poster presentations following a rigorous peer-review process involving the ICP Board members, and their focus ranges from the latest research findings and developments to clinical trials and experimental studies. This collection of papers from ICP 2013 continues the proud tradition of publishing key work from the ICP symposia and will be of interest for all who wish to stay abreast of recent advances in the field.

A distinction between primary and secondary brain damage of vari­ ous origin, particularly in acute lesions, such as head injury and ische­ mia is not entirely new. The concept is of practical significance, be­ cause it is the foremost intention of all clinical efforts to prevent, or at least attenuate the development of secondary sequelae. Primary dam­ age to nervous elements usually cannot be influenced by treatment. Its prevention is the objective of prophylactic measures. The current volume gathered prominent scientists and clinicians from various fields to pro­ vide a competent introduction and survey of the various aspects involved in secondary brain damage. It was attempted to provide criteria for the distinction between the primary and secondary phenomena on a morpho­ logical and functional level, on the basis of the kinetics involved and, most importantly, regarding the different specific manifestations, such as disturbances of microcirculation, aspects of the blood-brain barrier, and of cellular structure and function at a molecular level. Although it was not expected that a grand unifying hypothesis will be reached recon­ cilable with the many, occasionally opposing views on such a complex subject, nevertheless, the present volume attains an appropriate result. It can best be described as a mosaic of many different pieces which only as an ensemble reflect the current state of the art.

Nearly 80 short papers originating from the 14th International Symposium on Intracranial Pressure and Brain Monitoring held in Tuebingen, Germany, in September 2010 present experimental as well as clinical research data related to the naming topics of the conference. The papers have undergone a peer-reviewing and are organized in the following sections: methods of brain monitoring and data analysis, methods of invasive and non-invasive ICP assessment, the role of autoregulation, the role of tissue oxygenation and near-infrared spectroscopy, hydrocephalus/IIH imaging and diagnosis, management and therapy of hydrocephalus, management and therapy of traumatic brain injury, management and therapy of subarachnoid and intracranial hemorrhage, experimental approaches to acute brain disease. The book gives a good overview on the latest research developments in the field of ICP and related brain monitoring and on management and therapy of relevant acute brain diseases.

The 28th annual conference of the German Society for Neurosurgery was held in Cologne, West Germany, from the 18th to the 21st of September 1977. The conference dealt with problems concerning craniocerebral injuries and space-occupying processes in the posterior cranial fossa as well as general topics on clinical practice and research with special attention paid to the work of younger neurosurgeons. This volume is a presentation of the conference results. Within the scope of the general topics, special interest was directed toward the que­ stion of the current status of cytostatic treatment for brain tumors. In addition to experimental investigations, the results concerning cerebral tumors and medulloblas­ tomas are reported. Cerebellar tumors represent two further focal points: 1. From the diagnostic viewpoint, specific results from computerized tomography are discussed, especially with regard to the more extensive anatomic difficulties involved in the posterior cranial fossa. 2. With emphasis on cerebellar processes, the results of long-term measurements of intracranial pressure during the postoperative follow-up period are reported.

One of the best attended satellite symposia at the 1995 Neurosurgical Congress in Berlin was on ischaemia in head injury. Its aim, according to its chairman, Professor Francois Cohadon of Bordeaux, was primarily to review the current concept of brain ischaemia in trauma, its diagnosis and its clinical management. Professor Cohadon himself is pre-eminent in the field of accident and emergency surgery in France. Introducing the other speakers, he welcomed Professor Graham Teasdale of Glasgow and Dr Mark Dearden, now of Leeds, as products of the Scottish schools of traumatic neurosurgery. He was especially pleased to see in the audience Professor Jennett, the father of these schools, to which, Professor Cohadon said, all neurosurgeons are indebted for in­ numerable major contributions to our understanding of traumatic brain injury. Professor Nicholas Dorsch of Westmead Hospital, New South Wales, Australia, and Dr Kakarieka of the Bayer Research Group, were the two final speakers. Professor Cohadon introduced the concept of secondary damage after brain trauma. Professor Teasdale described the pathological and clinical evidence of ischaemic damage in brain trauma, and Dr Dearden described its mechanisms and methods for the clinical monitoring of the threat to patients. Professor Dorsch described the role of traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage (TSAH) in causing vasospasm after brain trauma, and the consequences for eventual recovery. The meeting was completed by Dr Kakarieka, who gave the first report on a randomized, con­ trolled trial of nimodipine in patients with TSAH.

86 short papers originating from the 13th International Symposium on Intracranial Pressure and Brain Monitoring held in July 2007 in San Francisco present experimental as well as clinical research data on invasive and non-invasive intracranial pressure and brain biochemistry monitoring. The papers have undergone a peer-reviewing and are organized in eight sections: brain injury: ICP management and cerebral physiology; hydrocephalus and cerebrospinal fluid dynamics; advanced neuromonitoring; biomedical informatics; imaging; ICP: brain compliance, biophysics, and biomechanics; stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intracerebral hematoma; and experimental studies and models. The papers address the increasing use of decompressive craniectomy for the treatment of brain edema as well after brain injury and the rapidly expanding field of advanced neuromonitoring and neuroimaging.

88 short papers originating from the 12th International Symposium on Intracranial Pressure and Brain Monitoring held in August 2004 in Hong Kong present experimental as well as clinical research data on invasive and non-invasive intracranial pressure and brain biochemistry monitoring. The papers have undergone a peer-reviewing and are organized in nine sections: ICP management in head injury, neurochemical monitoring, intracranial hypertension, neuroimaging, hydrocephalus, clinical trails, experimental studies, brain compliance and biophysics.

Brain Damage and Repair aims to attract the interest of neuroscientists and clinical neurologists by building a novel bridge from molecular research to clinical therapy. This novel approach reveals the functional features of neurons and glia in the particular context of vulnerability and self-protection, intracellular properties and extracellular matrix. Arising from this platform, this volume unfolds the molecular and systemic processes underlying migration disorders, axonal injury, repair and regeneration. Comprehensive chapters on neurological diseases, such as M. Alzheimer, M. Parkinson, ALS, stroke or trauma, take this knowledge, apply it at the clinical level to provide a basis for novel therapeutic strategies. Brain Damage and Repair is completed with chapters on imaging techniques, viral gene transfer or legal international handling of stem cell transfer and patents of DNA/proteins.

In the eight years since the publication of Volume 63 of Progress in Brain Research, on this subject, developments in the research field have been very fast. For example, receptor physiology and pharmacology is now an intensively studied field, and the excitotoxic hypothesis of cell death is commonly accepted. Furthermore, it is recognized that ischemia and other insults give rise to a sustained depression of overall protein synthesis, yet lead to the expression of dormant genes and to synthesis of new proteins.In view of this development, this volume focusses on the cellular and molecular aspects of ischemic brain damage. The book will be of great value to all those interested in the pathophysiology of ischemic and traumatic brain damage.