RESOURCES FOR NEUROBIOLOGY

Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran is internationally renowned for uncovering answers to the deep and quirky questions of human nature that few scientists have dared to address. His bold insights about the brain are matched only by the stunning simplicity of his experiments -- using such low-tech tools as cotton swabs, glasses of water and dime-store mirrors. In Phantoms in the Brain, Dr. Ramachandran recounts how his work with patients who have bizarre neurological disorders has shed new light on the deep architecture of the brain, and what these findings tell us about who we are, how we construct our body image, why we laugh or become depressed, why we may believe in God, how we make decisions, deceive ourselves and dream, perhaps even why we're so clever at philosophy, music and art. -- From the Publisher

Kandel, E., Schwartz, J., and Jessell, T. (2000) Principles of Neural Science. 4th edition. McGraw Hill, New York.

A remarkable textbook of medical neuroscience which includes a vast sweep of cellular, molecular, genetic, behavioral, neurological, and cognitive information about nervous systems and about the brain. Historical overview.

Kandel, Eric (2006) "In Search of Memory: The new science of mind" . W.W. Norton, Inc. New York.

A captivating mix of autobiography, neuroscience, and history tracing the evolution of a new theory for mind based in molecular biology and neuroscience, superbly written by Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel.

An historical account of the dawn of Neurology and the science of the brain, by New York Times writer, Carl Zimmer. A chronicle of the life and times of Thomas Willis (1621-1675), an English physician and Professor at Oxford University, living in the turbulent mid 15th century England. Willis charted the anatomy of the brain, mapped and numbered the cranial nerves, described the blood supply to the brain, and founded the science of Neurology and Psychiatry. Zimmer's vivid account makes for a great read.

One of the finest writers in clinical neuroscience, Oliver Sacks, a former A. D. White Professor at Large, recounts case histories of persons with sometimes bizzare, but always illuminating distortions in memories, perceptions, and intellect. Told in the most sympathetic way by an extraordinary writer, physician, neuroscientist and humanist.

This best seller, one of the top non-fiction works of 2007, this is a fascinating story of the curious effects of music on our brains by one of the finest writers in neuroscience.

Hille, Bertil (2001) Ion channels of Excitable Membranes. 3rd ed. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Mass.

An advanced textbook on the molecular basis of nervous excitation which covers the broad sweep of excitable cells in biological systems. Starting with the squid axon and Hodgkin and Huxley, where much of cellular neurobiology starts, it takes us on a journey through the mechanisms of the action potential in neurons to the big picture of ion channels in other cells: animals, protists, bacteria. The book shows how membrane receptors play a vital role in cell signaling. We see ion channels from a molecular, a structural, and a functional viewpoint. This landmark book should be on the "must-read" list of all advanced students in neuroscience.
Bertil Hille is a cell physiologist, a neuroscientist and a Professor at the University of Washington, Seattle.

This astonishing autobiography of Ramón y Cajal was originally published in English translation as part of the 1937 Journal of the American Philosophical Society. It is here reprinted in paperback with a forward by neuroscientist, W. Maxwell Cowan. Cowan points to fewer than a handful of autobiographies of biologists even worth reading, and this is one of them. This volume "conveys the excitement and energy of Cajal's life and endeavors, the liveliness and flamboyance of his engagements with the microscope...noting that almost every important conceptual issue in neurobiology was foreshadowed in Cajal's work: the initial description of the climbing fibers of the cerebellum, the discovery of the growth cone, the concept of the "dynamic polarity" of the neuron in anticipation of the later discovery of axonal transport, and the prediction that new synapses may be formed throughout life to serve as a physical basis for learning and memory" -- from the publisher.

No neurobiologist could read this book and fail to be inspired by the Life of Ramón y Cajal.

This book is highly recommended to all serious students in Neurobiology.

Ramón y Cajal, Santiago (reprinted 2004) Advice for a Young Investigator. Translated by Neeley Swanson & Larry Swanson.

Cajal offers insightful advice for a young scientist. In this classic text, first written in 1897 and reprinted several times during his lifetime is now offered in an excellent translation by Neeley Swanson and Larry Swanson. Cajal tells a young scientist what to do and what not to do. His humor is particularly evident as he characterizes some of the pitfalls of some scientists. Engaging and very readable.