Glial Neurobiology

"This volume is a very valuable and much neededcontribution." -Quarterly Review of Biology
AT LAST - A comprehensive, accessible textbook on glialneurobiology!
Glial cells are the most numerous cells in the human brain butfor many years have attracted little scientific attention.Neurophysiologists concentrated their research efforts instead, onneurones and neuronal networks because it was thought that theywere the key elements responsible for higher brain function. Recentadvances, however, indicate this isn't exactly the case. Notonly are astroglial cells the stem elements from which neurones areborn, but they also control the development, functional activityand death of neuronal circuits. These ground-breaking developmentshave revolutionized our understanding of the human brain and thecomplex interrelationship of glial and neuronal networks in healthand disease.
Features of this book:
* an accessible introduction to glial neurobiology including anoverview of glial cell function and its active role in neuralprocesses, brain function and nervous system pathology
* an exploration of all the major types of glial cells including:the astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglia of the ACNS andSchwann cells of the peripheral nervous system; the book alsopresents a broad overview of glial receptors and ion channels
* an investigation into the role of glial cells in various typesof brain diseases including stroke, neurodegenerative diseases suchas Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Alexander's disease, brain oedema,multiple sclerosis and many more
* a wealth of illustrations, including unique images from theauthors' own libraries of images, describing the main features ofglial cells
Written by two leading experts in the field, GlialNeurobiology provides a concise, authoritative introduction toglial physiology and pathology for undergraduate/postgraduateneuroscience, biomedical, medical, pharmacy, pharmacology, andneurology, neurosurgery and physiology students. It is also aninvaluable resource for researchers in neuroscience,physiology, pharmacology and pharmaceutics.