It's obvious why only men develop prostate cancer and why only women get ovarian cancer. But it is not obvious why women are more likely to recover language ability after a stroke than men or why women are more apt to develop autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Sex differences in health throughout the lifespan have been documented. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health begins to snap the pieces of the puzzle into place so that this knowledge can be used to improve health for both sexes. From behavior and cognition to metabolism and response to chemicals and infectious organisms, this book explores the health impact of sex (being male or female, according to reproductive organs and chromosomes) and gender (one's sense of self as male or female in society). Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health discusses basic biochemical differences in the cells of males and females and health variability between the sexes from conception throughout life. The book identifies key research needs and opportunities and addresses barriers to research. Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health will be important to health policy makers, basic, applied, and clinical researchers, educators, providers, and journalists-while being very accessible to interested lay readers.

Since Dr. Brizendine wrote The Female Brain ten years ago, the response has been overwhelming. This New York Times bestseller has been translated into more than thirty languages, has sold nearly a million copies between editions, and has most recently inspired a romantic comedy starring Whitney Cummings and Sofia Vergara. And its profound scientific understanding of the nature and experience of the female brain continues to guide women as they pass through life stages, to help men better understand the girls and women in their lives, and to illuminate the delicate emotional machinery of a love relationship. Why are women more verbal than men? Why do women remember details of fights that men can’t remember at all? Why do women tend to form deeper bonds with their female friends than men do with their male counterparts? These and other questions have stumped both sexes throughout the ages. Now, pioneering neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine, M.D., brings together the latest findings to show how the unique structure of the female brain determines how women think, what they value, how they communicate, and who they love. While doing research as a medical student at Yale and then as a resident and faculty member at Harvard, Louann Brizendine discovered that almost all of the clinical data in existence on neurology, psychology, and neurobiology focused exclusively on males. In response to the overwhelming need for information on the female mind, Brizendine established the first clinic in the country to study and treat women’s brain function. In The Female Brain, Dr. Brizendine distills all her findings and the latest information from the scientific community in a highly accessible book that educates women about their unique brain/body/behavior. The result: women will come away from this book knowing that they have a lean, mean, communicating machine. Men will develop a serious case of brain envy.

Written by leading international specialists, this book provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art overview of endocrine-based female reproductive disorders. Particularly focusing on the Hypothalamus – Pituitary – Ovary (HPO) axis as the main driver of reproduction in women, it discusses amenorrhea; chronic anovulation and polycystic ovary syndrome as the most common dysfunctions of the HPO axis; endocrine diseases as possible impacts on the HPO axis; uterine disorders related to estrogen/progesterone; and the impact of endometriosis and uterine fibroids on reproduction. It also addresses infertility and menopause as hormone-related disorders in women and endocrine changes during pregnancy and lactation, and in breast disorders. The book is intended as a major reference for endocrinologists, gynecologists, and obstetricians, as well as basic and clinical scientists. It is published as part of the SpringerReference program, which provides access to live editions constantly updated through a dynamic peer-review publishing process.

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.

Despite recent advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of human behavior, little of this work has penetrated into formal demography. Very few demographers worry about how biological processes might affect voluntary behavior choices that have demographic consequences even though behavioral geneticists have documented genetics effects on variables such as parenting and divorce. Offspring: Human Fertility Behavior in Demographic Perspective brings together leading researchers from a wide variety of disciplines to review the state of research in this emerging field and to identify promising research directions for the future.

Ideal for students of neuroscience and neuroanatomy, the new edition of Netter's Atlas of Neuroscience combines the didactic well-loved illustrations of Dr. Frank Netter with succinct text and clinical points, providing a highly visual, clinically oriented guide to the most important topics in this subject. The logically organized content presents neuroscience from three perspectives: an overview of the nervous system, regional neuroscience, and systemic neuroscience, enabling you to review complex neural structures and systems from different contexts. You may also be interested in: A companion set of flash cards, Netter's Neuroscience Flash Cards, 3rd Edition, to which the textbook is cross-referenced. Coverage of both regional and systemic neurosciences allows you to learn structure and function in different and important contexts. Combines the precision and beauty of Netter and Netter-style illustrations to highlight key neuroanatomical concepts and clinical correlations. Reflects the current understanding of the neural components and supportive tissue, regions, and systems of the brain, spinal cord, and periphery. Uniquely informative drawings provide a quick and memorable overview of anatomy, function, and clinical relevance. Succinct and useful format utilizes tables and short text to offer easily accessible "at-a-glance" information. Provides an overview of the basic features of the spinal cord, brain, and peripheral nervous system, the vasculature, meninges and cerebrospinal fluid, and basic development. Integrates the peripheral and central aspects of the nervous system. Bridges neuroanatomy and neurology through the use of correlative radiographs. Highlights cross-sectional brain stem anatomy and side-by-side comparisons of horizontal sections, CTs and MRIs. Features video of radiograph sequences and 3D reconstructions to enhance your understanding of the nervous system. Student Consult eBook version included with purchase. This enhanced eBook experience includes access -- on a variety of devices -- to the complete text, 14 videos, and images from the book. Expanded coverage of cellular and molecular neuroscience provides essential guidance on signaling, transcription factors, stem cells, evoked potentials, neuronal and glial function, and a number of molecular breakthroughs for a better understanding of normal and pathologic conditions of the nervous system. Micrographs, radiologic imaging, and stained cross sections supplement illustrations for a comprehensive visual understanding. Increased clinical points -- from sleep disorders and inflammation in the CNS to the biology of seizures and the mechanisms of Alzheimer's -- offer concise insights that bridge basic neuroscience and clinical application.

The nervous system has a remarkable capacity for self-reorganization, and in this first systematic analysis of the interaction between hormones and brain plasticity, Luis Miguel Garcia-Segura proposes that hormones modulate metaplasticity in the brain. He covers a wide variety of hormones, brain regions, and neuroplastic events, and also provides a new theoretical background with which to interpret the interaction of hormones and brain remodeling throughout the entire life of the organism.Garcia-Segura argues that hormones are indispensable for adequately adapting the endogenous neuroplastic activity of the brain to the incessant modifications in external and internal environments. Their regulation of neuroplastic events in a given moment predetermines new neuroplastic responses that will occur in the future, adapting brain reorganization to changing physiological and behavioral demands throughout the life of the organism. The cross-regulation of brain plasticity and hormones integrates information originated in multiple endocrine glands and body organs with information coming from the external world in conjunction with the previous history of the organism. Multiple hormonal signals act in concert to regulate the generation of morphological and functional changes in neural cells, as well as the replacement of neurons, glial, and endothelial cells in neural networks. Brain remodeling, in turn, is involved in controlling the activity of the endocrine glands and regulating hormonal secretions. This bidirectional adjustment of brain plasticity in response to hormonal inputs, and adjustment of hormonal concentrations in response to neuroplastic events are crucial for maintaining the stability of the inner milieu and for the generation of adequate behavioral responses in anticipation of--and in adaptation to--new social and environmental circumstances and life events, including pathological conditions.

A panel of leading experts integrate the latest findings from basic and clinical science to create a comprehensive treatment of the processes by which the brain acts as an endocrine organ, not only to control hormonal functions, but also to maintain homeostasis and regulate behavior. The authors-recognized both as leaders in their fields and as skilled teachers-provide systematic coverage of the analytical, anatomical, functional, clinical, and pathological aspects of neuroendocrinology. Topics range from the interactions between the nervous and endocrine systems to the regulation of reproduction, development, metabolism, fluid balance, and biological rhythms. Neuroendocrinology in Physiology and Medicine offers an unprecedented marriage of clinical and basic knowledge that has been missing from classical neuroscience, endocrinology, and physiology texts. It will teach today's medical students and serve researchers as a valuable reference to this rapidly growing field.

We know that gender traits and mental disorders are based on social, cultural, personal and physiological background. In order to formulate the best management plan for the patient, the mental health practitioner needs to incorporate all available information. Women and Mental Health provides a comprehensive overview of the most prominent mental health problems in women today. Examining the physiological, social and psychological factors of mental illness, and providing an up-to-date perspective on the etiology of different disorders, the book will help mental health professionals formulate the best management plan for the individual. Covering issues including perinatal psychiatric disorders, depression, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and alcohol and drug abuse - from a female perspective - Women and Mental Health will prove a valuable tool for all those working in the fields of mental health.