First multi-year cumulation covers six years: 1965-70.

Einige tausend Menschen sind weltweit an einer Leitungsunterbrechung des Hörnerven im Hirnstamm erkrankt. Dies führt in vielen Fällen zum Verlust des Hörens, d.h. zur Taubheit. Inzwischen ist es möglich, im Rahmen einer Gehirnoperation alltagsrelevante Teile des Hörvermögens wieder herzustellen. Dies geschieht durch Elektroden, die im Mittelhirn eingesetzt werden und die mit einem implantierten Mikroprozessor verbunden sind. Im vorliegenden Buch werden hierzu einige grundsätzliche Überlegungen, Laborstudien, sowie erstmalig klinische Ergebnisse dargestellt. Diese mikroskopische Implantation im akkustischen Teil des Gehirns ist das erfolgreichste Beispiel der neuroprothetischen Wiederherstellung eines zerstörten Sinnesorganes. Die vorgestellte Studie wurde im Rahmen einer Habilitationsarbeit angefertigt. Förderung erfolgte (2001) durch Mittel der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), der Max-Kade Stiftung, sowie durch ein Reisestipendium der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO). (Buchtext in englischer Sprache)

This hundredth volume is a commemorative milestone in the prestigeous Progress in Brain Research series. Accordingly, authors were invited to write on any topic, given that their choice represented the topic most near and dear to their own efforts over a significant period of the recent past, and to which they would likely continue to be devoted in the future. In that sense, this volume does not represent a scientific meeting, but rather an overview sample of problems and methodologies that epitomize brain research broadly at this special moment in the maturation of the field. The chapters comprising this volume assort themselves readily into five or six established categories of topics: developmental brain research, molecular brain research, integrative brain research, neuroplasticity, and neuro-psychiatric conditions. This volume reports through a sample of recognized leaders in the neuroscientific community at a significant instant in the history and evolution of the field.

Cochlear implants have instigated a popular but controversial revolution in the treatment of deafness. This book discusses the physiological bases of using artificial devices to electrically stimulate the brain to interpret sounds. As the first successful device to restore neural function, the cochlear implant serves as a model for research in neuroscience and biomedical engineering. These and other auditory prostheses are discussed in the context of historical treatments, engineering, psychophysics and clinical issues as well as implications for speech, behavior, cognition and long-term effects on people.

The current volume focuses on several key aspects of mind/brain/body interactions in health and disease, including specific examples of interactions between body and brain, mechanisms underlying the response of the system to stressors, the role of early life events in permanently biasing the responsiveness of the system and practical implications of mind body interactions in human disease.The volume on Biological Basis for Mind Body Interactions is organized into 6 major sections, each dealing with a unique aspect of the general topic: After establishing the relationship between mind, brain and emotions, the first section deals with general neurobiological aspects mediating the effect of stress on various organ systems, including the immune and cardiovascular system. The second section covers the topic of how early life stressor can permanently alter responsiveness of the nervous system in animals and in man. The third section deals with influences of the internal environment, mediated by neuroendocrine and visceral afferent pathways on the CNS. The fourth section which deals with influences of body on the brain, focuses on mechanisms involved in perception and modulation of pain. The fifth section deals with influences of the mind/brain on the body, with an emphasis on central and peripheral mechanisms of autonomic control of body functions. The last section deals with a series of practical issues of mind body treatments, including acupuncture, breathing, body work and meditation. In addition, issues such as cost effectiveness and research aspects are discussed. Authors in this last section frequently refer to topics and mechanisms addressed in the early sections, making it a truly integrated volume.The unique aspect of the volume is the integration of state of the art research information on biological and practical aspects of mind/brain/body interactions. It is based on the beliefs of the editors and participants that the traditional separation of mind and body in research and in treatment of human disease is obsolete and needs to be replaced with a new unifying paradigm. Ironically, this evolving paradigm shares many similarities with ancient pre-Cartesian paradigms of health and disease.

This book is the result of the 20th International Summer School in Brain Research, organized in August 1997 in Amsterdam, by the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. It is the first book that provides a complete overview of the field of neurodegeneration and regeneration including spinal cord injury, neurodegenerative diseases and therapy. Divided into five sections, the first two sections give an overview of fundamental research on nerve cell death, neuronal survival, neurite outgrowth and guidance. Extensive attention is given to the role of neurotrophins, their receptor tyrosine kinases and cell-adhesion molecules in development and regeneration of the nervous system. The third section of the book is devoted to research involving human neurodegenerative diseases and emerging treatment strategies. Section four focusses on recent advances in the understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases along with prion diseases. Novel insights into the neuropathological hallmarks of these diseases, as well as into transgenic animal models, the involvement of environmental factors, and genomic and mRNA changes that can cause neurodegeneration. The final section of this volume reveals recent developments in the use of cell and gene therapy to treat neurodegenerative disease and lesion-related deficits. Implantation of genetically modified cells, direct gene transfer with viral vectors and the first clinical trials with encapsulated genetically modified cells in patients suffering from amyotrophic lateral scelerosis are examples of new therapeutic strategies treating neurodegenerative diseases.The book is of particular interest to departments of neuroscience, neurological clinics and departments, the pharmalogical industry and medical libraries.

This book concentrates on the organizational level of neurons and neuronal networks under the unifying theme "The Self-Organizing Brain - From Growth Cones to Functional Networks". Such a theme is attractive because it incorporates all phases in the emergence of complexity and (adaptive) organization, as well as involving processes that remain operative in the mature state.The order of the sections follows successive levels of organization from neuronal growth cones, neurite formation, neuronal morphology and signal processing to network development, network dynamics and, finally, to the formation of functional circuits.