This collection of contributions on the subject of the neural mechanisms of sensorimotor control resulted from a conference held in Cairns, Australia, September 3-6, 2001. While the three of us were attending the International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS) Congress in St Petersburg, Russia, in 1997, we discussed the implications of the next Congress being awarded to New Zealand. We agreed to organise a satellite to this congress in an area of mutual interest -the neuroscience of movement and sensation. Australia has a long-standing and enviable reputation in the field of neural mechanisms of sensorimotor control. Arguably this reached its peak with the award of a Nobel Prize to Sir John Eccles in 1963 for his work on synaptic transmission in the central nervous system. Since that time, the subject of neuroscience has progressed considerably. One advance is the exploitation of knowledge acquired from animal experiments to studies on conscious human subjects. In this development, Australians have achieved international prominence, particularly in the areas of kinaesthesia and movement control. This bias is evident in the choice of subject matter for the conference and, subsequently, this book. It was also decided to assign a whole section to muscle mechanics, a subject that is often left out altogether from conferences on motor control. Cairns is a lovely city and September is a good time to visit it.

The peripheral nervous system is usually defined as the cranial nerves, spinal nerves, and peripheral ganglia which lie outside the brain and spinal cord. To describe the structure and function of this system in one book may have been possible last century. Today, only a judicious selection is possible. It may be fairly claimed that the title of this book is not misleading, for in keeping the text within bounds only accounts of olfaction, vision, audition, and vestibular function have been omitted, and as popularly understood these topics fall into the category of special senses. This book contains a comprehensive treatment of the structure and function of peripheral nerves (including axoplasmic flow and trophic func tions); junctional regions in the autonomic and somatic divisions of the peripheral nervous system; receptors in skin, tongue, and deeper tissues; and the integrative role of ganglia. It is thus a handbook of the peripheral nervous system as it is usually understood for teaching purposes. The convenience of having this material inside one set of covers is already proven, for my colleagues were borrowing parts of the text even while the book was in manuscript. It is my belief that lecturers will find here the information they need, while graduate students will be able to get a sound yet easily read account of results of research in their area. JOHN 1. HUBBARD vii Contents SECTION I-PERIPHERAL NERVE Chapter 1 Peripheral Nerve Structure 3 Henry deF. Webster 3 1. Introduction .

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Studies of human movement have proliferated in recent years, and there have been many studies of spinal pathways in humans, their role in movement, and their dysfunction in neurological disorders. This comprehensive reference surveys the literature related to the control of spinal cord circuits in human subjects, showing how they can be studied, their role in normal movement, and how they malfunction in disease states. Chapters are highly illustrated and consistently organised, reviewing, for each pathway, the experimental background, methodology, organisation and control, role during motor tasks, and changes in patients with CNS lesions. Each chapter concludes with a helpful resume that can be used independently of the main text to provide practical guidance for clinical studies. This will be essential reading for research workers and clinicians involved in the study, treatment and rehabilitation of movement disorders.

The extremely potent substance botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) has attracted much interest in diverse fields. Originally identified as cause for the rare but deadly disease botulism, military and terrorist intended to misuse this sophisticated molecule as biological weapon. This caused its classification as select agent category A by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and the listing in the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Later, the civilian use of BoNT as long acting peripheral muscle relaxant has turned this molecule into an indispensable pharmaceutical world wide with annual revenues >$1.5 billion. Also basic scientists value the botulinum neurotoxin as molecular tool for dissecting mechanisms of exocytosis. This book will cover the most recent molecular details of botulinum neurotoxin, its mechanism of action as well as its detection and application.

In this, the post-genomic age, our knowledge of biological systems continues to expand and progress. As the research becomes more focused, so too does the data. Genomic research progresses to proteomics and brings us to a deeper understanding of the behavior and function of protein clusters. And now proteomics gives way to neuroproteomics as we beg

This 5000-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.

This book is rather unique in its approach and coverage. The approach is essentially that of an engineering textbook, emphasizing the quantitative aspects and highlighting the fundamentals and basic concepts involved. The coverage progresses in a logical and systematic manner from the subcellular, starting with the electrophysiology of the cell membrane, then proceeding to synapses, neurons, and muscle, before considering neuronal motor ensembles and the neuromuscular system as a whole. Simple, clear, and comprehensive explanations are given throughout. After an introductory chapter on some background material in biology, biophysics, and chemical kinetics, a substantial part of the book (Chapters 2-8) necessarily covers in considerable detail the basic components and processes that underlie the electrical and associated activities of the nervous system. The remaining chapters of the book (Chapters 9-13) focus on the neuromuscular system, starting with the structure of muscle cells, the generation of force by muscular contraction, and muscle receptors. The last chapter examines aspects of the control of movement, motor learning and memory, the maintenance of posture, and locomotion, and critically examines some of the theories that have been advanced to explain how movement is controlled. The book is intended for undergraduate or graduate students in the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering who seek a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of neuroscience and the somatomotor system, in accordance with the aforementioned objectives. The book can serve as a textbook for a one-semester course on the neuromuscular system or as a reference in a more general course on neuroscience. Provides a thorough analytical treatment of membrane electrophysiology, starting from the first principles Emphasizes strongly the basic and fundamental concepts throughout Discusses thoroughly the essential features and properties of the basic constituents of the nervous system, that is, neurons and synapses, including the neuromuscular junction Explains the main aspects of posture, locomotion, and control of movement Includes practice problems throughout the text and a solutions manual will be available for adopting professors Nassir Sabah is professor of biomedical engineering in the electrical and computer engineering department at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. He received his B.Sc. (Hons. Class I) and his M.Sc. in electrical engineering from the University of Birmingham, U.K., and his Ph.D. in biophysical sciences from the State University of New York (SUNY/Buffalo). He has served as Chairman of the Electrical Engineering Department, Director of the Institute of Computer Studies, and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at the American University of Beirut. In these capacities, he was responsible for the development of programs, curricula, and courses in electrical, biomedical, communications, and computer engineering. Professor Sabah has extensive professional experience in the fields of electrical engineering, electronics, and computer systems, with more than 35 years’ teaching experience in neuroengineering, biomedical engineering, electronics, and electric circuits. He has over 100 technical publications, mainly in neurophysiology, biophysics, and biomedical instrumentation. He has served on numerous committees and panels in Lebanon and the region. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET, U.K.), a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and a member of the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).