- Email: [email protected]
£11.30
1043
Book reviews
are found in many parts of the cortex; no doubt this is true. However, it also seems possible that such specialists might glean from the work on the other systems some productive insight into their ‘own’ system; these volumes provide information which might be useful in this way and one must hope that it will be so used. The task of the Editor must have been a formidable one and it has resulted in a high standard of production, including a useful subject-index in each volume. Inevitably, these well-printed and illustrated books are expensive, but certainly the three volumes should form part of any major library reference collection on sensory physiology. I fear, however, that useful as they will be as works of reference for factual detail, they will not provide much general enlightenment about the significance of cortical maps; perhaps it is not realistic to expect that they should. Of course they will be read; but I doubt if they will often be read through.
three dimensions of the position and movement of an auditory source-in the cortex of the bat. In a fascinating chapter (Vol. 3) Suga describes the representation within one arca of the bearing and velocity of insect targets detected by the bat’s sonar system while a separate area deals with the detection of the particular combinations of frequency modulation which provide clues to the range of the targets. His conclusion that the bat’s auditory system contains both mechanisms for extracting ‘informationbearing elements’ and others which act to synthesize these elements suggests striking parallels with the visual system. It is disappointing and rather surprising that in these volumes there is rarely any serious attempt to pursue such parallels or contrasts between the three systems or even to draw detailed comparisons between them. In his introduction, Woolsey suggests that future progress will require cooperation between groups, each specialising in the particular technology of experimentation in one of the three fieldsand these technologies are now quite formidable-to combine their efforts to study the multi-modal units which
I.M.L.
JDONALDSON
-
BraIn Micro§ion Techniques. A. C. CUELU)(Rd.) IBRO Handbook Series: Methods in the Neuroacienees (Vol2). John Wiley & Sons (1983). 2OOpp., (Cloth) S46.OO/E23.00;(Paper) %23.00/U 1.30. Much has been written on how to remove and process brain tissue for visualisation in one form or another under the microscope. On the other hand, detailed descriptions of how to microdissect the brain for neurochemical analysis or physiological study have been few. This second volume in the IBRO Handbook Series sets out to hll this gap, and succeeds admirably. It comprises five chapters. The tirst two constitute roughly two-thirds of the book’s 186 pages and deal with the general principles of the various procedures in common use, and also present detailed accounts of how to apply these methods to the microdissection of the rat’s brain. I suspect that the book’s main appeal for most readers, and particularly to newcomers to the field, will he in this first section. For those researchers in a position to work with human brain tissues, the last three chapters will doubtless be of considerable assistance. It is not until you read an easy-to-follow, step-by-step account such as this that you realise just how much there is to an apparently simple method. The authors bring their considerable experience to bear on the problem and the result is a well written, cleverly illustrated text that should prove to be a useful starting point for anyone engaged in this type of research for a long time to come. I particularly liked the series of coronal sections of the rat’s brain in Chapter 2, presented together with ventral views of the surface of the brain illustrating where to make the initial incision in order to achieve a given rostrocaudal plane, by reference to exterior landmarks. It is this sort of attention to detail, coupled with a commonsense approach, that beginners will find especially helpful. However, the authors also take great pains to emphasise that this presentation is in no way a substitute for experience and that accurate and reproducible dissection will only come with practice. Any brain dissection will, of course, only be as good as the experimenter’s knowledge of CNS anatomy. This point is made several times and it is quite rightly noted that where
small brain nuclei are being removed, the investigator ought to refer to the original papers describing its anatomy. I would add here that this can sometimes reveal discrepancies between the specialist reports and the standard stereotaxic atlases. If in doubt, I would place my trust in the former. A word about the dissection methods that are described. The first chapter starts from first principles-how to kill the animal and remove the brain intact. Next follows an assortment of descriptions of how to slice the brain, whether using a razor blade or a microtome, in order to get an appropriate coronal section from which areas of interest may be further microdissected. The micropunch technique, using hollow needles, is described in detail. Illustrations of different sixes and shape of needle are provided and practical advice given as to their use. The beautiful simplicity of this method is immediately apparent and most investigators with a spark of ingenuity will quickly realise how to make their own implements and how the method may be adapted for their own particular use. Verification of sampling and general limitations of the method are discussed. The next chapter shows how to cut up fresh, rather than frozen or fixed brain tissue, principally into slices for the purposes of measuring, say the uptake and release of putative neurotransmitters. Pictures of slices cut at different anteroposterior levels give a useful guide to the brain’s anatomy. It is a pity that preparation of brain slices for electrophysiological recording has been afforded no coverage, since this is an emerging area of research which would benefit from a similar methodological treatment. The rest of the book is given over to the more special&d methods for dissecting the human brain, though the priciples remain the same as for a rat. This is altogether a tidy and timely handbook which should prove to be popular with all neuroscientists. M.S. STARR
Book reviews
are found in many parts of the cortex; no doubt this is true. However, it also seems possible that such specialists might glean from the work on the other systems some productive insight into their ‘own’ system; these volumes provide information which might be useful in this way and one must hope that it will be so used. The task of the Editor must have been a formidable one and it has resulted in a high standard of production, including a useful subject-index in each volume. Inevitably, these well-printed and illustrated books are expensive, but certainly the three volumes should form part of any major library reference collection on sensory physiology. I fear, however, that useful as they will be as works of reference for factual detail, they will not provide much general enlightenment about the significance of cortical maps; perhaps it is not realistic to expect that they should. Of course they will be read; but I doubt if they will often be read through.
three dimensions of the position and movement of an auditory source-in the cortex of the bat. In a fascinating chapter (Vol. 3) Suga describes the representation within one arca of the bearing and velocity of insect targets detected by the bat’s sonar system while a separate area deals with the detection of the particular combinations of frequency modulation which provide clues to the range of the targets. His conclusion that the bat’s auditory system contains both mechanisms for extracting ‘informationbearing elements’ and others which act to synthesize these elements suggests striking parallels with the visual system. It is disappointing and rather surprising that in these volumes there is rarely any serious attempt to pursue such parallels or contrasts between the three systems or even to draw detailed comparisons between them. In his introduction, Woolsey suggests that future progress will require cooperation between groups, each specialising in the particular technology of experimentation in one of the three fieldsand these technologies are now quite formidable-to combine their efforts to study the multi-modal units which
I.M.L.
JDONALDSON
-
BraIn Micro§ion Techniques. A. C. CUELU)(Rd.) IBRO Handbook Series: Methods in the Neuroacienees (Vol2). John Wiley & Sons (1983). 2OOpp., (Cloth) S46.OO/E23.00;(Paper) %23.00/U 1.30. Much has been written on how to remove and process brain tissue for visualisation in one form or another under the microscope. On the other hand, detailed descriptions of how to microdissect the brain for neurochemical analysis or physiological study have been few. This second volume in the IBRO Handbook Series sets out to hll this gap, and succeeds admirably. It comprises five chapters. The tirst two constitute roughly two-thirds of the book’s 186 pages and deal with the general principles of the various procedures in common use, and also present detailed accounts of how to apply these methods to the microdissection of the rat’s brain. I suspect that the book’s main appeal for most readers, and particularly to newcomers to the field, will he in this first section. For those researchers in a position to work with human brain tissues, the last three chapters will doubtless be of considerable assistance. It is not until you read an easy-to-follow, step-by-step account such as this that you realise just how much there is to an apparently simple method. The authors bring their considerable experience to bear on the problem and the result is a well written, cleverly illustrated text that should prove to be a useful starting point for anyone engaged in this type of research for a long time to come. I particularly liked the series of coronal sections of the rat’s brain in Chapter 2, presented together with ventral views of the surface of the brain illustrating where to make the initial incision in order to achieve a given rostrocaudal plane, by reference to exterior landmarks. It is this sort of attention to detail, coupled with a commonsense approach, that beginners will find especially helpful. However, the authors also take great pains to emphasise that this presentation is in no way a substitute for experience and that accurate and reproducible dissection will only come with practice. Any brain dissection will, of course, only be as good as the experimenter’s knowledge of CNS anatomy. This point is made several times and it is quite rightly noted that where
small brain nuclei are being removed, the investigator ought to refer to the original papers describing its anatomy. I would add here that this can sometimes reveal discrepancies between the specialist reports and the standard stereotaxic atlases. If in doubt, I would place my trust in the former. A word about the dissection methods that are described. The first chapter starts from first principles-how to kill the animal and remove the brain intact. Next follows an assortment of descriptions of how to slice the brain, whether using a razor blade or a microtome, in order to get an appropriate coronal section from which areas of interest may be further microdissected. The micropunch technique, using hollow needles, is described in detail. Illustrations of different sixes and shape of needle are provided and practical advice given as to their use. The beautiful simplicity of this method is immediately apparent and most investigators with a spark of ingenuity will quickly realise how to make their own implements and how the method may be adapted for their own particular use. Verification of sampling and general limitations of the method are discussed. The next chapter shows how to cut up fresh, rather than frozen or fixed brain tissue, principally into slices for the purposes of measuring, say the uptake and release of putative neurotransmitters. Pictures of slices cut at different anteroposterior levels give a useful guide to the brain’s anatomy. It is a pity that preparation of brain slices for electrophysiological recording has been afforded no coverage, since this is an emerging area of research which would benefit from a similar methodological treatment. The rest of the book is given over to the more special&d methods for dissecting the human brain, though the priciples remain the same as for a rat. This is altogether a tidy and timely handbook which should prove to be popular with all neuroscientists. M.S. STARR