Marc D. Binder – Encyclopedia of Neuroscience (2009)

Автор: Marc D. Binder
Название книги: Encyclopedia of Neuroscience
Формат: PDF
Жанр: Медицина
Страницы: 4457
Качество: Изначально компьютерное, E-book

This 4457-page masterwork is literally the last word on the topic and will be an essential resource for many. Unique in its breadth and detail, this encyclopedia offers a comprehensive and highly readable guide to a complex and fast-expanding field. The five-volume reference work gathers more than 10,000 entries, including in-depth essays by internationally known experts, and short keynotes explaining essential terms and phrases. In addition, expert editors contribute detailed introductory chapters to each of 43 topic fields ranging from the fundamentals of neuroscience to fascinating developments in the new, inter-disciplinary fields of Computational Neuroscience and Neurophilosophy. Some 1,000 multi-color illustrations enhance and expand the writings.
Neuroscience is a rapidly expanding endeavor devoted to unraveling the structure and function of the nervous
system. It relies on, and keeps close relations to, a number of other disciplines, such as mathematics, physics,
chemistry, engineering, computer science, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, medicine and philosophy.
Indeed, many of its recent successes result from the application of ideas, concepts and methods borrowed from these
fields. Thus, neuroscience has become the archetype for interdisciplinary undertakings. This convergence of
influences accounts for part of its enormous attractiveness and fascination to students, researchers and lay persons
from various walks of life or science. Many of neuroscience’s most creative and productive investigators have been
lured into the field not only by the excitement inherent in the possibility of uncovering the secrets of the human
mind, but by the appeal of venturing into a vast unknown land, requiring the development of new tools for its
effective cultivation. Far from simply satisfying our intellectual curiosity, however, neuroscience has become ever
more important as a theoretical ground for practical applications in medicine, in particular neurology, and other
disciplines.
The explosion of neuroscience has made it virtually impossible for individuals to follow all the ramifications and
fast developments in the many corners and branches of this science. This Encyclopedia has therefore been designed
for a wide variety of readers, from members of the lay public to students, practitioners and researchers in biology,
medicine, psychology, sociology, philosophy and their associated auxiliary fields. Moreover, it should also prove
useful to advanced researchers of biology and neuroscience who wish to stay abreast of current developments
outside their immediate areas of expertise.
In the interest of rapid and convenient access to information, this Encyclopedia has adopted a new format. The
entire complex of neuroscience has been divided into 38 subject fields organized and surveyed by associated Field
Editors. Entries, which are in alphabetical order for rapid localization, are of three type: (1) simple and relatively
brief definitions and explanations (glossary entries), (2) structured “essays” of a few pages to provide coherent
treatments of particularly important topics, and (3) synopses written by the Field Editors as larger overviews of their
fields with links to the essays in their field. Extensive cross-references to definitions and essays serve to lead the
reader to additional sources of information.
This Encyclopedia is available as a print version (5 volumes, more than 4,500 pages, 6,500 entries and 1,000
illustrations), an eReference version (online version), and as a bundle (print plus online) version.
Thanks are due to a vast number of people who have made this ambitious endeavor possible. First and foremost, we
are extremely grateful to our 46 Field Editors who accepted the arduous challenge of organizing their fields,
soliciting essays and glossary terms from expert authors, editing the submitted texts, and finally writing their own
synopses. Second, many thanks also go to our nearly 1,000 authors who wrote essays and glossary terms. Third,
Drs. Thomas Mager, Natasja Sheriff, Michaela Bilic and Jana Simniok of Springer-Verlag investigated much
effort, initiative, patience and enthusiasm (at times interrupted by outbursts of frustration) into initiating,
administering, pushing ahead and keeping alive this project. Many thanks are due to the numerous unnamed support
staff in the background: secretaries, copy editors, computer and graphics specialists at Springer.
MARC D. BINDER (Seattle)