Developmental Neurobiology

Developmental Neurobiology provides an up-to-date survey of the cellular events and the molecular contributors that contribute to the assembly of the vertebrate nervous system. The text will serve as a readily tractable source for advanced undergraduate neuroscience majors and beginning graduate students who will benefit from a single source to begin their study of a more detailed understanding of neural development. Each chapter is peppered with a sound mixture of historical context and descriptions from both the vertebrate and invertebrate literature that best illustrate specific aspects of development. The liberal use of simple diagrams and tables, which readily illustrate complex issues, is a welcome addition for instructor and student alike. While classic topics of neural development, including axial patterning, cell proliferation, migration, cell death and synapse formation are covered, of particular interest are subjects that oftentimes received superficial coverage in texts, including separate, detailed chapters on oligodendrocyte and astrocyte development, and developmental mechanisms that relate to the process of aging. Multi-authored texts are often tricky to assemble for consistency, but Developmental Neurobiology succeeds in providing a sound introduction to the most exciting questions that neuroscientists will address experimentally for years to come. Pat Levitt, Ph.D., Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Professor of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN When the inaugural edition of Developmental Neurobiology appeared in 1970, it was the first attempt to comprehensively assess our understanding of neuronal development since the publication of S.R. Detwiler’s book Neuroembryology in 1936. Although progress had been made in the intervening 34 years, the author, Marcus Jacobson, was correct in noting that in 1970 most