The Neurobiological Basis of Memory and Behavior

Of all the areas of biological science, there is, perhaps, none that has experienced in recent decades so great an increase in findings as neurobiology, the discipline that concerns memory in all of its myriad aspects. The notion of exploring memory, that capacity to store and recall individual experience, has received attention increasingly in our society. Of course, animals can exhibit astounding powers of memory, but memory is of paramount importance to human beings due to the significant role it plays in the transmission of our cultural traditions. It is tradition, after all, that ensures the passing on of qualities established by lineage, a continuous link from generation to generation, between past and present. And it is tradition that inspires bodies of thought (knowledge and customs, for example) to be handed down by a multiplicity of information bearing devices (i. e. , word, writing, picture, electronic data carriers). The objective of this book is to inform the reader in one clear volume of the groundwork which has been established in memory research from the diverse disciplines of neurobiology. It is intended, primarily, for students of medicine, zoology, biology, psychology and psychiatry, but will certainly prove to be a valuable resource to others with a healthy interest in the area.

Table of Contents:
1 The Cellular Basis of Memory.- 1.1 Nerve Cells (Neurons).- 1.2 Glial Cells and Nerve Sheaths.- 2 Development of the Nervous System in Vertebrates.- 2.1 Morphogenetic Aspects of the Formation of Neuronal Structure.- 2.2 Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Neuronal Differentiation.- 3 Functional Morphology of the Nervous System in Vertebrates.- 3.1 Basic Structure of the Nervous System in Vertebrates.- 3.2 The Central Nervous System.- 3.3 Vegetative Nervous System (Sympathetic and Parasympathetic).- 3.4 Derivatives of the Placodes.- 3.5 Nonneuronal Structures in the Nervous System.- 4 Evolution and Architecture of the Nervous System in Invertebrates.- 4.1 Evolution of Nerve Cells: General Remarks.- 4.2 Organization of the Nervous System in Invertebrates.- 5 Principles of Circuitry in Neurobiological Information Processing.- 5.1 Neuronal Circuitry.- 5.2 Reflex Circuitry.- 5.3 Examples of Central Nervous Circuitry Systems.- 5.4 Outlook.- 6 Electrophysiological Aspects of Information Processing.- 6.1 Resting Potential of Membranes.- 6.2 Action Potential.- 6.3 Transmission of Impulses in the Synapses.- 6.4 The Electroencephalogram (EEG) and Reaction Potential.- 7 Chemical Aspects of Neuronal Information Transmission in Synapses.- 7.1 Molecular Basis of Synaptic Information Transmission.- 7.2 Calcium and Neuronal Functions.- 8 Modulation of Neuronal Information Transmission.- 8.1 General Aspects of Neuromodulation.- 8.2 Significance of Gangliosides as Neuromodulators.- 9 Neuronal Plasticity.- 9.1 Neuronal Transport.- 9.2 Synaptic Plasticity.- 9.3 Degeneration in the Nervous System.- 9.4 Regeneration in the Nervous System.- 10 Behavioral-Physiological Basis of Memory.- 10.1 Phenomenology of Memory.- 10.2 Innate Behavior.- 10.3 Acquired Behavior.- 11 Neurobiological Models of Memory.- 11.1 Historical Overview: Early Models of Memory Formation.- 11.2 Memory Formation Through Molecular Facilitation in Synapses.- 11.3 Aspects of the Formation of a Neuronal Information Processing System.- 11.4 Localizing Memory.