Molecular Biology of the Brain (review)

Abstract

The brain is one of the most complicated of all evolutionary adaptations, and is probably the most intriguing. How the complexities of human thought, language, cognition, consciousness, and emotion emerge from the myriad of deterministic interactions between various molecules at the most basic level is one of the greatest and most important questions facing science. The Molecular Biology of the Brain reviews the state of current knowledge about the molecular foundations of brain function and gives the reader an excellent window into some of the recent research aimed at trying to unravel the mechanisms by which the brain works (or fails to work). Written by leading researchers in this field, the volume is divided into 14 chapters that focus on a variety of questions surrounding neuronal growth and degeneration, synaptic transmission, cellular metabolism, and the molecular bases of various brain disorders and diseases. Each chapter has its own introduction, an excellent summary of the key points discussed, and a list of references specific to that particular chapter. The writing is, for the most part, clear and concise, though it is definitely not a book for a general lay audience. This book would be appropriate for a high-level undergraduate course in molecular biology, as well as for graduate courses. It would also be appropriate for individuals with a background in molecular biology who are interested in reviewing the latest research relevant to the brain. The level of prior knowledge assumed does vary from chapter to chapter, leaving some chapters much more accessible to a broader audience than others. This is the inevitable result of having different sets of authors for different chapters. The payoff is that this reasonably small book is crammed with information. Several chapters illustrate nicely how recent molecular biological techniques (such as the use of recombinant expression systems, 'knock-out' genes, and so forth) are being used to probe the mysteries of brain structure and function.