NEUROINFLAMMATION: MECHANISMS AND MANAGEMENT.

Abstract

Edited by Paul L. Wood . 1998. Pp. 375. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press. ISBN 0-89603-416-X. At first sight the title of this book excited us enormously. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive source book summarizing current information on neuroinflammation and its management. However, in this respect the book fails to deliver. Paul Wood, an acknowledged expert on microglia and CNS macrophages, has assembled a group of like-minded authors, all except one from North America. Several focus almost solely on microglia, to the exclusion of other brain cells, notably astrocytes, which undoubtedly contribute to neuroinflammation. The book addresses both basic mechanisms and clinical applications, and many of the chapters are excellent reviews of their respective areas. However, several important topics of clear relevance to neuroinflammation are not discussed. For example, there is no discussion of chemokines and chemokine receptors, little on the contributions of neurones and oligodendroglia, and almost nothing on apoptosis of brain cells in inflammation. Others will have their own lists of what is missing. Despite these shortcomings, perhaps inevitable …