The emergence of myelin 425 million years ago marked a turning point in evolution. Consider for a moment the invention of insulated wire, which allows for the transmission of electrical current. Functioning in a similar way, the membrane surrounding nerve fibers, or myelin, enables the remarkable acceleration of nerve impulses. Surprisingly, myelin occupies nearly half the volume of the human brain and is critical for our intellectual and motor performance. Without myelin, our thoughts and our movements would suffer overwhelming delays. We owe our reflexes to myelin: it is what makes us brake when a child dashes out onto the road, or snatch away a hand absent-mindedly placed on a burning hot stove. When damaged, myelin can lead to irreversible disability, cognitive decline, and sensory impairments. The study of myelin's role in the conduction of nerve impulses has led to a better understanding of several diseases including multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Charcot disease (ALS), and Niemann-Pick disease.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is now considered the imaging modality of choice for the majority of disorders affecting the central nervous system. This is particularly true for gray and white matter disorders, thanks to the superb soft tis sue contrast in MRI which allows gray matter, unmyelinated, and myelinated white matter to be distinguished and their respective disorders identified. The pre sent book is devoted to the disorders of myelin and myelination. A growing amount of detailed in vivo information about myelin, myelination, and myelin dis orders has been derived both from MRI and from MR spectroscopy (MRS). This prompted us to review the clinical, laboratory, biochemical, and pathological data on this subject in order to integrate all available information and to provide im proved insights into normal and disordered myelin and myelination. We will show how the synthesis of all available information contributes to the interpretation of MR images. After a brief historical review about the increasing knowledge on myelin and my elin disorders, we propose a new classification of myelin disorders based on the subcellular localization of the enzymatic defects as far as the inborn errors of me tabolism are concerned. This classification serves as a guide throughout the book. All items of the classification will be discussed and, whenever relevant and possi ble, be illustrated by MR images.

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

Traditionally, oligodendrocytes have been assumed to play a minor supporting role in the central nervous system and their importance has generally been overlooked. For the first time, this book provides a dedicated review of all of the major aspects of oligodendrocyte biology, including development, organization, genetics, and immunobiology. Later chapters emphasize the importance of this underestimated cell to the mammalian central nervous system by exploring the role of myelin synthesis and maintenance in neural disease and repair. Particular attention is paid to multiple sclerosis (MS), arguably the prime example of an acquired demyelinating disease, with detailed examinations of the current concepts regarding demyelination, oligodendroglial damage, and remyelination in MS lesions.

In 1961, neurobiologists found that the conduction velocity of the nerve impulse in the giant nerve fiber of the Penaeus shrimp abdominal nerve cord was over 200 m/s, the highest speed of information transmission ever observed in the animal kingdom. The peculiar myelin sheath with its unique nodal structure and the electrical properties of the nerve fibers of the shrimp have continued to be investigated for a quarter of century and are now fully described in this book. The investigation dispels the commonly held belief that the fastest recorded impulse conduction is about 120 m/s in the thickest vertebrate myelinated nerve fibers. In the shrimp, researchers found a completely novel type of functional node in the giant fiber which they designated as the fenestration node. In portions of the myelinated fiber, the fenestration node furnished the sites of excitation. Also discovered was a new strategy for increasing impulse conduction in the shrimp. The book includes a section on the formation of the fenestration node and the discovery of a strategy that allows the shrimp to escape its predators by an action of the fastest velocity. The data presented in this volume on the myelin sheath of invertebrates present a new direction for this field and a rich source of information for neurobiologists worldwide.

Myelin: Biology and Chemistry provides in-depth reviews and discussions regarding recent findings in the biology and chemistry of myelin. Topics are interdisciplinary and carry readers from the cellular level to that of the gene. Research in demyelinating diseases (naturally occurring and experimentally produced) is described and emphasizes autoimmune and virally induced mechanisms. Advances in molecular biology, such as those that provide details of the structures of the major myelin proteins, demonstrate the control of their synthesis, and explore the mutations within their genes that disrupt the process of myelination, are discussed in depth. Myelin: Biology and Chemistry will be an important addition to the libraries of molecular biologists, biochemists, cell biologists, physical chemists, immunologists, virologists, and pathologists involved in the study of myelin.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

What is the secret of talent? How do we unlock it? This groundbreaking work provides readers with tools they can use to maximize potential in themselves and others. Whether you’re coaching soccer or teaching a child to play the piano, writing a novel or trying to improve your golf swing, this revolutionary book shows you how to grow talent by tapping into a newly discovered brain mechanism. Drawing on cutting-edge neurology and firsthand research gathered on journeys to nine of the world’s talent hotbeds—from the baseball fields of the Caribbean to a classical-music academy in upstate New York—Coyle identifies the three key elements that will allow you to develop your gifts and optimize your performance in sports, art, music, math, or just about anything. • Deep Practice Everyone knows that practice is a key to success. What everyone doesn’t know is that specific kinds of practice can increase skill up to ten times faster than conventional practice. • Ignition We all need a little motivation to get started. But what separates truly high achievers from the rest of the pack? A higher level of commitment—call it passion—born out of our deepest unconscious desires and triggered by certain primal cues. Understanding how these signals work can help you ignite passion and catalyze skill development. • Master Coaching What are the secrets of the world’s most effective teachers, trainers, and coaches? Discover the four virtues that enable these “talent whisperers” to fuel passion, inspire deep practice, and bring out the best in their students. These three elements work together within your brain to form myelin, a microscopic neural substance that adds vast amounts of speed and accuracy to your movements and thoughts. Scientists have discovered that myelin might just be the holy grail: the foundation of all forms of greatness, from Michelangelo’s to Michael Jordan’s. The good news about myelin is that it isn’t fixed at birth; to the contrary, it grows, and like anything that grows, it can be cultivated and nourished. Combining revelatory analysis with illuminating examples of regular people who have achieved greatness, this book will not only change the way you think about talent, but equip you to reach your own highest potential.

This open access book offers an essential overview of brain, head and neck, and spine imaging. Over the last few years, there have been considerable advances in this area, driven by both clinical and technological developments. Written by leading international experts and teachers, the chapters are disease-oriented and cover all relevant imaging modalities, with a focus on magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography. The book also includes a synopsis of pediatric imaging. IDKD books are rewritten (not merely updated) every four years, which means they offer a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art in imaging. The book is clearly structured and features learning objectives, abstracts, subheadings, tables and take-home points, supported by design elements to help readers navigate the text. It will particularly appeal to general radiologists, radiology residents, and interventional radiologists who want to update their diagnostic expertise, as well as clinicians from other specialties who are interested in imaging for their patient care.

Cajal and De Castro's Neurohistological Methods provides the first English translation of Fernando de Castro's 1933 publication "Elementos de T cnica Microgr fica del Sistema Nervioso." A student of the famed founder of modern neuroscience, with Santiago Ramon y Cajal also serving as the Editor of the original text, Fernando de Castro recorded all the various protocols that had been used in his laboratory by his students in order to provide a manual of histological procedures specifically designed for the fine structure of the nervous system. This renowned text is virtually unknown in its original form outside the Spanish-speaking world. In a text that reads like a mix between a recipe book and an alchemical manuscript, authors Miguel Merchan, Javier DeFelipe, and Fernando de Castro (descendant of the 1933 publication's author) put the new translation into historical context. This book is also beautifully illustrated with plates of histological techniques, provides a quick guide to new vocabulary, and the author's notes on the translated text. This pivotal work of classic neurohistological techniques is a wonderful addition to the Cajal library.