This book addresses and synthesizes recent basic, translational, and clinical research with the goal of understanding the mechanisms behind autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and how they lead to altered brain function and behavior. Bringing clarity to these mechanisms will lead to more effective therapies for the various heterogeneous pathologies that comprise ASD. Currently there are few, if any,…
This volume focuses on modern computational and statistical tools for translational gene expression and regulation research to improve prognosis, diagnostics, prediction of severity, and therapies for human diseases. It introduces some of state of the art technologies as well as computational and statistical tools for translational bioinformatics in the areas of gene transcription and regulatio…
Nearly 30 years ago, a number of scientists working on the Enteric Nervous System (ENS) gathered at Flinders University, in Adelaide, Australia to discuss the advances and future of their research. It was a friendly and stimulating meeting, attended by most of the major players, in what was to become the discipline of ‘Neurogastroenterology'. In 2014, the main Australasian Neuroscience Soc…
The meeting of Aquatic Noise 2013 will introduce participants to the most recent research data, regulatory issues and thinking about effects of man-made noise and will foster critical cross-disciplinary discussion between the participants. Emphasis will be on the cross-fertilization of ideas and findings across species and noise sources. As with its predecessor, The Effects of Noise on Aquatic …
This book describes a new computational approach to creativity. With chess as the domain of investigation, the authors show experimentally how a computer can be imbued with the 'spark' of creativity that enables it to compose chess problems or puzzles that are both challenging and aesthetically appealing to humans. This new approach called the Digital Synaptic Neural Substrate (DSNS) mimics the…
This volume details the essential role of the spiral ganglion neurons. The volume elucidates and characterizes their development, their environment, their electrophysiological characteristics, their connectivity to their targets in the inner ear and the brain, and discusses the potential for their regeneration. A comprehensive review about the spiral ganglion neurons is important for researcher…
This book demonstrates that the systematic study of gene expression patterns in embryonic and adult brains, in combination with selected data from earlier studies, can pave the way for a new neuromorphology, the most salient features of which may be summarized as follows: (1) Causal analysis of molecular patterning at neural plate and early neural tube stages has shown that the CNS is essential…
Thyroid hormone plays an important role in development and functional maintenance in the central nervous system. Deficiency of thyroid hormone during fetal and early postnatal life induces abnormal development known as cretinism in humans. However, the molecular mechanism of thyroid hormone action has not yet been fully understood. Thyroid hormone action in the brain may be disrupted under v…
This book presents interdisciplinary research that pursues the mutual enrichment of neuroscience and robotics. Building on experimental work, and on the wealth of literature regarding the two cortical pathways of visual processing - the dorsal and ventral streams - we define and implement, computationally and on a real robot, a functional model of the brain areas involved in vision-based graspi…
This atlas is currently the most systematic and comprehensive atlas of the tree shrew brain. The purpose of this book is to help scientists acquire accurate coordinates of the brain regions of the tree shrew, which is becoming a popular animal model for a variety of human diseases. This atlas contains series of 192 coronal sections, 36 sagittal sections, and 49 horizontal sections using Nissl s…