The Developing Brain

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, molecular based summary of brain development
Review: Truly, this is a book that could not have been written a few years ago. The explosion of research into the molecular basis of brain development has been one of the most astounding aspects of advances in neuroscience. It is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, preferably if they've already had a course in general developmental biology. The book of course discusses human brain development, but does so from a comparative perspective, including both invertebrate and mammalian systems. The focus is on the molecules involved in brain development, players like the whimiscally named sonic hedgehog, ephrins, FGFs etc...the list is into the hundreds now. It is well written and concise; I especially liked how the chapter sections are each only 1-3 pages long. It is heavily referenced and current through 2001, so it can be a good jumping off place to go into more detail on whatever strikes your fancy. My only criticism is the illustrations...although the book is reasonably illustrated with informative and well chosen black and white line drawings, there are no photographs or color pictures, and I have found, in attempting to peruse the developmental neurobiology literature without being a developmentalist by trade, it is often difficult to figure out what it is they're trying to show in the color photos that are usually present in modern articles, so it would be helpful for a textbook to include them to help students orient themselves when they do hit the actual literature. But undoubtedly this kept the price of the book quite reasonable. Also, the authors have chosen to stress the molecular aspects, so some of the details of morphology are not emphasized. A nice point about the book is that the last several chapters deal with plasticity issues like synaptic rearrangement, learning, and repair, showing continuity of mechanisms from earlier in development to the adult brain. Of course, any textbook in this field is outdated by the time it is published, but to get an excellent overview and summary I think it is really superb!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, molecular based summary of brain development
Review: Truly, this is a book that could not have been written a few years ago. The explosion of research into the molecular basis of brain development has been one of the most astounding aspects of advances in neuroscience. It is suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, preferably if they've already had a course in general developmental biology. The book of course discusses human brain development, but does so from a comparative perspective, including both invertebrate and mammalian systems. The focus is on the molecules involved in brain development, players like the whimiscally named sonic hedgehog, ephrins, FGFs etc...the list is into the hundreds now. It is well written and concise; I especially liked how the chapter sections are each only 1-3 pages long. It is heavily referenced and current through 2001, so it can be a good jumping off place to go into more detail on whatever strikes your fancy. My only criticism is the illustrations...although the book is reasonably illustrated with informative and well chosen black and white line drawings, there are no photographs or color pictures, and I have found, in attempting to peruse the developmental neurobiology literature without being a developmentalist by trade, it is often difficult to figure out what it is they're trying to show in the color photos that are usually present in modern articles, so it would be helpful for a textbook to include them to help students orient themselves when they do hit the actual literature. But undoubtedly this kept the price of the book quite reasonable. Also, the authors have chosen to stress the molecular aspects, so some of the details of morphology are not emphasized. A nice point about the book is that the last several chapters deal with plasticity issues like synaptic rearrangement, learning, and repair, showing continuity of mechanisms from earlier in development to the adult brain. Of course, any textbook in this field is outdated by the time it is published, but to get an excellent overview and summary I think it is really superb!