This book explores how one can bring about changes in the brain through meditation, both through attention-focus training and through compassion training. Recent findings in the natural sciences have confirmed that it is possible for humans to achieve these structural and functional changes through various life-style practices. It is argued that meditation enables us to influence some aspects o…
The evolution of vertebrate hearing is of considerable interest in the hearing community. However, there has never been a volume that has focused on the paleontological evidence for the evolution of hearing and the ear, especially from the perspective of some of the leading paleontologists and evolutionary biologists in the world. Thus, this volume is totally unique, and takes a perspective t…
This volume provides insight into gibbon diet and community ecology, the mating system and reproduction, and conservation biology, all topics which represent areas of substantial progress in understanding socio-ecological flexibility and conservation needs of the hylobatid family. This work analyzes hylobatid evolution by synthesizing recent and ongoing studies of molecular phylogeny, morpholog…
This monograph examines in detail models of neural systems described by delay-differential equations. Each element of the medium (neuron) is an oscillator that generates, in standalone mode, short impulses also known as spikes. The book discusses models of synaptic interaction between neurons, which lead to complex oscillatory modes in the system. In addition, it presents a solution to the prob…
This book provides a comprehensive review of the latest advances in translational pain and itch research, and presents the cutting-edge developments in the study of our two principal, yet most mysteries sensations. Despite the slow progress in the discovery of effective therapies for chronic pain and pruritus, scientists around the globe now have a better understanding of why and how these cond…
Translational Research is the interface between basic science and human clinical application, including the entire process from animal studies to human clinical trials (phases I, II, and III). Translational Research moves promising basic science results from the laboratory to bedside application. Yet, this transition is often the least-defined, least-understood part of the research process. Mos…
Translational Neuroscience offers a far-reaching and insightful series of perspectives on the effort to bring potentially revolutionary new classes of therapies to the clinic, thereby transforming the treatment of human nervous system disorders. Great advances in the fields of basic neuroscience, molecular biology, genomics, gene therapy, cell therapy, stem cell biology, information technology,…
This book covers wide areas of animal and human psychopharmacology with clinical utility in the treatment of psychiatric and neurological (e.g Alzheimer's disease) disorders. The main theme is to develop a new paradigm for drug discovery that questions the claim that animal models or assays fail adequately to predict Phase 3 clinical trials. A new paradigm is advocated that stresses the importa…
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,…