From Neuron to Brain

JOHN G. NICHOLLS Professor of Neuroscience at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste (known as SISSA), Italy. A. ROBERT MARTIN Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA. PAUL A. FUCHS Director of Research and the John E. Bordley Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Professor of Neuroscience and co-Director of the Center for Sensory Biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA. DAVID A. BROWN Professor of Pharmacology in the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology, and Pharmacology at University College London, UK. MATHEW E. DIAMOND Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the International School for Advanced Studies in Trieste (SISSA), Italy. DAVID A. WEISBLAT Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

PART I. INTRODUCTION TO THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

1. Principles of Signaling and Organization

Introductory material
Increased emphasis on genetics and molecular mechanisms

2. Signaling in the Visual System

Shifted to the beginning of the book from the end
Extensively reworked to improve accessibility for readers without background knowledge of neurobiology
Synaptic physiology in the visual cortex

3. Functional Architecture of the Visual Cortex

Like Chapter 2, shifted to the beginning of the book
New information about columnar organization

PART II. ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF NEURONS AND GLIA

4. Ion Channels and Signaling

Minor revisions for increased clarity

5. Structure of Ion Channels

Detailed molecular structure of both the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor channel and the voltage-sensitive potassium channel
Conformational changes underlying channel gating
Regulation of ion selectivity
Updated catalogue of ion channels and channel subunits, including revised protein and gene designations

6. Ionic Basis of the Resting Potential

Channels associated with “leak” currents in the resting membrane

7. Ionic Basis of the Action Potential

Mechanism underlying voltage gating of channels
Mechanisms underlying hyperpolarizing and depolarizing after potentials
Role of afterpotentials in membrane excitability

8. Electrical Signaling in Neurons

Revised discussion of membrane resistance and capacitance
Detailed structure of gap junctions

9. Ion Transport across Cell Membranes

Revised discussion of chloride transport
Updated classification and designation of neurotransmitter transporters
Expanded discussion of transmitter uptake mechanisms

10. Properties and Functions of Neuroglial Cells

The role of glia at synapses
Radial glia and neurogenesis
Calcium waves in glia
Regulation of cerebral blood flow by glia
The role of microglia

PART III. INTERCELLULAR COMMUNICATION

11. Mechanisms of Direct Synaptic Transmission

Updated content on gating of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Discussion of chemical transmission expanded to include excitatory and inhibitory transmission in the mammalian central nervous system
New material on drugs and toxins acting on the neuromuscular junction, and on how transmitter receptors are localized at their postsynaptic sites
Expanded treatment of the role of connexons and the functions of electrical transmission in the mammalian central nervous system

12. Indirect Mechanisms of Synaptic Transmission

New material on how G proteins work
Discussion of the role of membrane phospholipids as ion channel regulators
New coverage of endocannabinoids, nitric oxide, and carbon monoxide as neural messengers
New material on how different receptor-activated signaling cascades are integrated or segregated in the neuron

13. Release of Neurotransmitters

New evidence for the direct role of calcium in transmitter release
Use of fluorescent dyes and capacitance measurements to monitor vesicle fusion
Detailed mechanism of vesicle fusion and exocytosis
Molecular details of active zone structure revealed by electron tomography
Structure of ribbon synapses
The role of vesicle pools in transmitter release and recovery

14. Neurotransmitters in the Central Nervous System

Expanded and updated sections on amino acid transmitters, acetycholine, monoamines, and ATP
Coverage of new aspects of peptidergic transmission: nociceptin (orphanin); the orexins, sleep, and regulation of food intake; and vasopressin, oxytocin, and the social brain

15. Transmitter Synthesis, Transport, Storage, and Inactivation

New material on co-uptake, co-storage, and co-release of transmitters

16. Synaptic Plasticity

Expanded discussion of presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms underlying long-term potentiation and long-term depression

PART IV. INTEGRATIVE MECHANISMS

17. Autonomic Nervous System

Retinal ganglion cells responding to light
Circadian rhythms
M current second messengers
Leptins

18. Cellular Mechanisms of Behavior in Ants, Bees, and Leeches

Path-finding by ants on stilts
Optical recording and systems approach to behavioral analysis; how a leech makes up its mind

PART V. SENSATION AND MOVEMENT

19. Sensory Transduction

Fundamental aspects of sensory signaling exemplified by cutaneous and muscle receptors
Detailed and updated descriptions of hair cell mechanotransduction, chemical senses, and nociception

20. Transduction and Transmission in the Retina

Coverage of the transduction cascade whereby the absorption of light results in photoreceptor hyperpolarization
How intrinsically photosensitive ganglion cells subserve circadian rhythms
Synaptic connectivity of photoreceptors, interneurons, and ganglion cells in the retina

21. Touch, Pain, and Texture Sensation

Completely new chapter, covering the most recent research on the somatosensory system from receptors to cortical organization
Description of the processing that leads from contact of an object with the skin to recognition of the physical properties of that object
New material on the functional organization of the somatosensory system, both in rats and mice, where the whiskers are particularly important, and in primates, where the fingertips are particularly important

22. Auditory and Vestibular Sensation

Frequency selectivity and amplification in the mammalian cochlea
Electrical tuning of hair cells in the turtle inner ear
Structure and function of the vestibular periphery

23. Constructing Perception

Completely new chapter, dedicated to a description of processing in the brain that occurs after the primary sensory areas
Special attention given to current investigations concerning how a vibration on the fingertip is perceived, and how objects are recognized in a visual scene

24. Circuits Controlling Reflexes, Respiration, and Coordinated Movements

Optical recording from brainstem respiratory circuits
Columnar organization of motor cortex
Posture

PART VI. DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

25. Development of the Nervous System

Text now includes, among many other additions: homeotic genes for forebrain development; neuron generation from radial glia; considerations of adult neurogenesis; mention of clinically important developmental defects
Broadened overview of signaling

26. Critical Periods in Sensory Systems

The role of experience in shaping connectivity of the visual cortex
Critical periods in auditory system development
The interplay of intrinsic and extrinsic factors in developmental plasticity

27. Regeneration of Synaptic Connections after Injury

Greater emphasis on molecular mechanisms of synapse formation, agrin receptors, and the potential for use of stem cells for repair of the central nervous system

PART VII. CONCLUSION

28. Open Questions

Clinical relevance emphasized

Appendix A. Current Flow in Electrical Circuits

Appendix B. Metabolic Pathways for the Synthesis and Inactivation of Low-Molecular-Weight Transmitters

Appendix C. Structures and Pathways of the Brain

Glossary

Bibliography

Index