Synapses

Synapses, the sites where neurons communicate with other cells, are where most of the drugs known to affect brain function act. The analysis of synaptic function and architecture is central to understanding how the nervous system works and how drug therapies exert their effects. It also has important implications for the study of learning and memory, of neural development, and, more generally, for the clinical disciplines of neurology and psychiatry. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of a century of research on synaptic structure and function culminating in the most recent work. Written by leading experts in the field, the text should be of interest to a broad range of neuroscientists, including those studying the cellular and molecular mechanisms of synaptic transmission, learning and memory, neuronal plasticity, neurotransmitters and synaptic morphology. It should also be a useful reference for students and biomedical professionals in all areas of neuroscience.

Table of Contents:
A Brief History of Synapses and Synaptic Transmission, W. Maxwell Cowan and Eric R. Kandel; The Structure of Synapses, Pietro De Camilli, Volker Haucke, Kohji Takei, and Enrico Mugnaini; Physiology of Synaptic Transmission and Short-Term Plasticity, Wade G. Regehr and Charles F. Stevens; Mechanism and Regulation of Neurotransmitter Release, Thomas C. S dhof and Richard H. Scheller; Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis, Pietro De Camilli, Vladimir I. Slepnev, Oleg Shupliakov, and Lennart Brodin; The Synaptic Cleft and Synaptic Cell Adhesion, Thomas C. S dhof; The Postsynaptic Specialization, Morgan H.-T. Sheng; Signal Transduction in the Postsynaptic Neuron - Activity-Dependent Regulation of Gene Expression, Michael E. Greenberg and Edward B. Ziff; Synaptic Plasticity - Diverse Targets and Mechanisms for Regulating Synaptic Efficacy, Robert C. Malenka and Steven A. Siegelbaum; The Mechanisms and Meaning of Long-Term Synaptic Depression in the Mammalian Brain, Mark F. Bear and David J. Linden; Synaptic Plasticity and Memory, Paul D. Grimwood, Stephen J. Martin, and Richard G. M. Morris; Synapse Formation and Maturation, Ann Marie Craig and Jeff W. Lichtman; Neurotrophins and Refinement of Visual Circuitry, Edward S. Lein and Carla J. Shatz; Novel Neurotransmitters and Their Neuropsychiatric Relevance, Solomon H. Snyder and Christopher D. Ferris; Synaptic Variability: New Insights from Reconstructions and Monte Carlo Simulations with MCell, Joel R. Stiles, Thomas M. Bartol, Miriam M. Salpeter, Edwin E. Salpeter, and Terrence J. Sejnowski.

About the Author :
W. Maxwell Cowan recently retired as the vice president and chief scientific officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Chevy Chase, Maryland. Born and raised in South Africa, Dr. Cowan received his D. Phil from Oxford University and served on the faculty at Oxford before moving to the United States. He was affiliated with Washington University, St.Louis, for 15 years before joining the Salk Institute, where he served as Vice President. In 1986, Dr Cowan returned to Washington University to become Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor. He joined the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in 1988. Dr. Cowan is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences. Thomas C. Sudhof is an HHMI investigator and professor of molecular genetics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He obtained postdoctoral training first with Victor Whittaker at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Gottingen, and then with Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein in Dallas. Charles F. Stevens is an HHMI investigator at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and adjunct professor of Pharmacology and of Neuroscience at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine. Dr. Stevens is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.