Biology: Neuroscience Books

Significant improvements in lifestyle and medical science are leading to an ever increasing elderly population in the United States and other developed nations. The U.S. census bureau estimates the number of people over 65 will nearly double by 2030, and that the elderly population will comprise nearly one-fifth of the world's entire population within the next twenty years. In Animal Models of Human Cognitive Aging, Jennifer Bizon, Alisa Woods, and a panel of international authorities comprehensively discuss the use of animal models as a tool for understanding cognitive changes associated with the aging process. The book provides substantive background on the newest and most widely used animal models in studies of cognition and aging, while detailing the normal and pathological processes of brain aging of humans in relation to those models. Additional chapters comprehensively review frontal cortical deficits and executive function in primates as related to humans, and the use of transgenic modulation in mice to model Alzheimer's and other age-related diseases. Groundbreaking and authoritative, Animal Models of Human Cognitive Aging provides a valuable resource for Neuroscientists, Gerontological Scientists, and all aging medicine researchers, while serving as a primer for understanding current brain aging studies.

Neuroscience is by definition a multidisciplinary field: some scientists study genes and proteins at the molecular level while others study neural circuitry. A single topic such as the auditory system can be studied using techniques from genetics, imaging, biochemistry, or electrophysiology. A young scientist must learn how to read the primary literature and then develop their own experiments. This book offers that scientist an overview of mainstream research techniques, provides guidelines on how to choose one technique over another, offers tips on analyzing data, and provides a list of references for additional detailed study. This book can also assist an experienced scientist understand published studies conducted outside their own subfield.

Translational research looks to take the latest innovations made in the laboratory setting to translate findings into effective and sustainable medical interventions and improved preventative measures. Funding support is increasingly tied to practical healthcare outcomes, with this trend likely only to increase in coming years.