History of Neuroscience

The Animal Spirit Doctrine and the Origins of Neurophysiology

C.U.M. Smith, Eugenio Frixione, Stanley Finger, William Clower

This book examines the history of Western attempts to explain how messages might be sent from the sense organs to the brain and from the brain to the muscles. It focuses on a construct ... More

This book examines the history of Western attempts to explain how messages might be sent from the sense organs to the brain and from the brain to the muscles. It focuses on a construct called animal spirit, which would permeate philosophy and guide physiology and medicine for over two millennia. The book's story opens along the Eastern Mediterranean, where it examines how Pre-Socratic philosophers related the soul to air-wind or pneuma. It then traces what Hippocrates, Plato, and Aristotle wrote about this pneuma, and how Stoic and Epicurean philosophers approached it. It also visits Alexandria, where Hellenistic anatomists provided new thoughts about the nerves and the ventricles. Thereafter the book shows how Galen's pneuma psychikon or spiritus animae would provide an explanation for sensations and movements. Galen's writings would guide science and medicine for well over a thousand years, albeit with some modifications. One change, found in early Christian writers Nemesius and Augustine, involved assigning perception, cognition, and memory to different spirit-filled ventricles. The book then turns to how questions began to be raised about it in the 1500s and 1600s. Here it examines the rise of modern science. Nevertheless, the animal spirit doctrine continued to survive because no adequate replacement for it was immediately forthcoming. The replacement theory stemmed from experiments on electric fishes started in the 1750s. Additional research eventually led scientists to abandon their time-honored ideas. The book traces some of the developments leading to modern electrophysiology and ends with an epilogue centered on what this history teaches us about paradigmatic changes in the life sciences. Less

Cajal's Butterflies of the Soul: Science and Art

Javier DeFelipe

This book contains a large collection of beautiful figures produced throughout the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, which represent some characteristic examples of the early days ... More

This book contains a large collection of beautiful figures produced throughout the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, which represent some characteristic examples of the early days of research in neuroscience. The main aim of this work is to demonstrate to the general public that the study of the nervous system is not only important for the many obvious reasons related to brain function in both health and disease, but also for the unexpected natural beauty that it beholds. This beauty has been discovered thanks to the techniques used to visualize the microscopic structure of the brain, a true forest of colorful and florid neural cells. As illustrated by his marvelous drawings, the studies of Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852-1934) no doubt contributed more than those of any other researcher at the time to the growth of modern neuroscience. Thus, his name has been honored in the title of this book, even though the figures contained in the main body of it are from 91 different authors. Looking at the illustrations in this book, the readers will find that many of the early researchers that studied the nervous system were also true artists, of considerable talent and esthetic sensibility. Hence, the present book contains numerous drawings of some of the most important pioneers in neuroscience, including Deiters, Kolliker, Meynert, Ranvier, Golgi, Retzius, Nissl, Dogiel, Alzheimer, del Rio-Hortega, and de Castro. Less

Cajal's Degeneration and Regeneration of the Nervous System

Santiago Ramon y Cajal, R. M. May

Javier DeFelipe, Edward G. Jones (eds)

This book is a reprint of an English translation of Cajal's original work, with abundant notes and commentaries by the editor. Cajal's fundamental contributions to neuroscience continue ... More

This book is a reprint of an English translation of Cajal's original work, with abundant notes and commentaries by the editor. Cajal's fundamental contributions to neuroscience continue to be important today and this account accurately details his ideas and data. The book also provides readers with the opportunity to learn what Cajal thought about his research career and the significance of his observations. Excerpts from Tello's memorial lectures also provide a contemporary view of Cajal's work. Less

Creating Modern Neuroscience: The Revolutionary 1950s

Gordon M. Shepherd MD, DPhil

For modern scientists, history often starts with last week's journals and is regarded as largely a quaint interest compared with the advances of today. However, this book makes the case ... More

For modern scientists, history often starts with last week's journals and is regarded as largely a quaint interest compared with the advances of today. However, this book makes the case that, measured by major advances, the greatest decade in the history of brain studies was mid-twentieth century, especially the 1950s. The first to focus on worldwide contributions in this period, this book ranges through dozens of astonishing discoveries at all levels of the brain, from DNA (Watson and Crick), through growth factors (Hamburger and Levi-Montalcini), excitability (Hodgkin and Huxley), synapses (Katz and Eccles), dopamine and Parkinson's (Carlsson), visual processing (Hartline and Kuffler), the cortical column (Mountcastle), reticular activating system (Morruzzi and Magoun) and REM sleep (Aserinsky), to stress (Selye), learning (Hebb) and memory (HM and Milner). The clinical fields are also covered — from Cushing and Penfield, psychosurgery, and brain energy metabolism (Kety), to most of the major psychoactive drugs in use today (beginning with Delay and Deniker) — and much more. There is a focus on the creative process itself; on understanding how the combination of unique personalities, innovative hypotheses, and new methods led to the advances. Insight is given into this process through describing the struggles between male and female, student and mentor, academic and private sector, and the roles of chance and persistence. The book thus provides a multidisciplinary understanding of the revolution that created the modern field of neuroscience, and which set the bar for judging current and future advances. Less

Dopamine Handbook

Leslie Iversen, Susan Iversen, Stephen Dunnett, Anders Bjorklund (eds)

The discovery of dopamine in 1957-8 was one of the seminal events in the development of modern neuroscience, and has been extremely important for the development of modern therapies of ... More

The discovery of dopamine in 1957-8 was one of the seminal events in the development of modern neuroscience, and has been extremely important for the development of modern therapies of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Dopamine has a fundamental role in almost all aspects of behavior — from motor control to mood regulation, cognition and addiction and reward — and dopamine research has been unique within the neurosciences in the way it has bridged basic science and clinical practice. Over the decades, research into the role of dopamine in health and disease has been at the forefront of modern neuroscience. Less

Galvani’s Spark: The Story of the Nerve Impulse

Alan McComas

The nerve impulse is the basis of all human thoughts and emotions, and of all sensations and movements. As such, it has been the subject of scientific enquiry for more than two ... More

The nerve impulse is the basis of all human thoughts and emotions, and of all sensations and movements. As such, it has been the subject of scientific enquiry for more than two centuries, beginning with Galvani’s chance observation that a frog’s leg twitched in response to an electrostatic discharge nearby. From being a metaphysical concept, the impulse became a phenomenon that could be recorded and have its velocity determined. However, the nature of the brief permeability changes in the nerve membrane that made the impulse possible, and of the way in which the nerve endings influenced the excitability of connecting neurons, remained problems that taxed the ingenuity of physiologists for many years. An important breakthrough was the discovery of giant nerve fibres in the squid, fibres large enough for new techniques to be employed, as in the voltage-clamp experiments of Hodgkin and Huxley immediately after World War II. The story culminates with the recent discovery of the 3-dimensional structure and detailed functioning of the ion channels, following MacKinnon’s X-ray diffraction studies, and with the revelation that a host of clinical disorders result from malfunction of the ion channels. Less

The History of Neuroscience in Autobiography: Volume 7

Larry R. Squire (ed.)

Edited by Larry R. Squire, the seventh volume of The History of Neuroscience in Autobiography is a collection of autobiographical essays by notable senior scientists who discuss the ... More

Edited by Larry R. Squire, the seventh volume of The History of Neuroscience in Autobiography is a collection of autobiographical essays by notable senior scientists who discuss the major events that shaped their discoveries and their influences, as well as the people who inspired them and helped shape their careers as neuroscientists. Each entry also includes a complete CV so that the interested reader may see their rise through the ranks as they achieved some of the highest honors in neuroscience. Contributors to the seventh volume include: Floyd E. Bloom, Joaquín Fuster, Michael S. Gazzaniga, Bertil Hille, Ivan Izquierdo, Edward Jones, Krešimir Krnjević, Nicole M. Le Douarin, Terje Lømo, Michael M. Merzenich, John Wilson Moore, Robert Y. Moore, Michael I. Posner, Peter H. Schiller, Gordon M. Shepherd, and Robert H. Wurtz. Less

The History of Neuroscience in Autobiography Volume 6

Larry R Squire (ed.)

This book contains a collection of autobiographical chapters by notable senior scientists who discuss the major events that shaped their discoveries and their influences, as well as the ... More

This book contains a collection of autobiographical chapters by notable senior scientists who discuss the major events that shaped their discoveries and their influences, as well as the people who inspired them and helped shape their careers as neuroscientists. Each entry also includes a complete CV so that the book tells the story of their rise through the ranks as they achieved some of the highest honors in neuroscience. Less

Luria's Legacy in the 21st Century

Anne-Lise Christensen, Elkhonon Goldberg, Dmitri Bougakov (eds)

Alexandr Romanovich Luria was one of the foremost neuropsychologists of the 20th Century and the field of neuropsychology was created, in large part, due to his research on patients with ... More

Alexandr Romanovich Luria was one of the foremost neuropsychologists of the 20th Century and the field of neuropsychology was created, in large part, due to his research on patients with brain lesions during the Second World War. Throughout his career, his insights on thought processes and aphasias inspired and challenged the discipline and his students. Luria's Legacy in the 21st Century is a collection of essays by leading neuropsychologists and cognitive neuroscientists to honor Alexandr Romanovich Luria and to highlight the enduring impact of his legacy on cognitive neuroscience, clinical neuropsychology, and neurorehabilitation. A wide range of topics are covered, from functional neuroimaging in neuropsychology to bedside evaluation techniques. Several generations of neuropsychologists and cognitive neuroscientists are among contributors, including those who closely worked with Luria, their own students, and others influenced in their work by Luria's pioneering insights. Broad in scope and rich in detail, Luria's Legacy in the 21st Century provides a window into the world of the great neuropsychologist. Each essay suggests that Luria's impact will be felt far into the future. Less

Minds Behind the Brain: A history of the pioneers and their discoveries

Stanley Finger

This volume presents a series of vibrant profiles that trace the evolution of our knowledge about the brain. Beginning almost 5,000 years ago, with the ancient Egyptian study of “the ... More

This volume presents a series of vibrant profiles that trace the evolution of our knowledge about the brain. Beginning almost 5,000 years ago, with the ancient Egyptian study of “the marrow of the skull”, the book takes us on a fascinating journey from the classical world of Hippocrates, to the time of René Descartes and the era of Paul Broca and Santiago Ramón y Cajal, to modern researchers such as Roger W. Sperry. We meet Galen, a man of titanic ego and abrasive disposition, whose teachings dominated medicine for a thousand years; Andreas Vesalius, a contemporary of Nicolaus Copernicus, who pushed our understanding of human anatomy to new heights; Otto Loewi, pioneer in neurotransmitters, who gave the Nazis his Nobel prize money and fled Austria for England; and Rita Levi-Montalcini, discoverer of nerve growth factor, who in war-torn Italy was forced to do her research in her bedroom. For each individual, the philosophy, the tools, the books, and the ideas that brought new insights are examined. The book also looks at broader topics: How dependent are researchers on the work of others? What makes the time ripe for discovery? And what role does chance or serendipity play? Many fascinating background figures are also included, from Leonardo da Vinci and Emanuel Swedenborg to Karl August Weinhold—who claimed to have reanimated a dead cat by filling its skull with silver and zinc—and Mary Shelley, whose Frankenstein was inspired by such experiments. Less