Neuronal Identity From Fate Specification To Function

Neuronal Identity from Fate Specification to Function

Determinants of Neuronal Identity

Determinants of Neuronal Identity brings together studies of a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms that highlight the determinants of neuronal identity. Emphasis of this book is on how neurons are generated; how their developmental identities are specified; and to what degree those identities can be subsequently modified to meet the changing needs of the organism. This book also considers various techniques used in the analysis of different organisms. This volume is comprised of 15 chapters; the first of which introduces the reader to the specification of neuronal identity in Caenorhabditis elegans. The discussion then turns to neurogenesis and segmental homology in the leech, as well as intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing the development of Retzius neurons in the leech nervous system. Drosophila is discussed next, with particular reference to neuronal diversity in the embryonic central nervous system, cell choice and patterning in the retina, and development of the peripheral nervous system. Other chapters explore endocrine influences on the postembryonic fates of neurons during insect metamorphosis; neuron determination in the nervous system of Hydra and in the mammalian cerebral cortex; and segregation of cell lineage in the vertebrate neural crest. This book will help scientists and active researchers in synthesizing a conceptual framework for further studies of neuronal specification.

Development of Neural Circuitry

The nervous system is highly complex both in its structural order and in its ability to perform the many functions required for survival and interaction with the environment; understanding how it develops has proven to be one of the greatest challenges in biology. Such precision demands that key events at every developmental stage are executed properly and are coordinated to produce the circuitry underlying each of the adult nervous system's functions. This volume describes the latest research on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neural circuitry development, while providing researchers with a one-stop overview and synthesis of contemporary thought in the area. Reviews current research findings on the development of neural circuitry, providing researchers with an overview and synthesis of the latest contemporary thought in the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the development of neural circuitry Includes chapters discussing topics such as the guidance of nerve growth and the formation of plasticity of synapses, helping researchers better understand underlying mechanisms of neural circuit development and maintenance that may play a role in such human diseases/conditions as depression, anxiety, and pain Chapters make use of a variety of human and animal models, allowing researchers to compare and contrast neural circuitry development across a wide spectrum of models