- Email: [email protected]
Chance and Design
In summary, this is a highly readable and informative volume that is well illustrated and will be of interest to a wide range of students and investigators. The
reader is treated to an attractive coverage of both the discoveries and limitations that are part and parcel of current methods in brain research. In the 'Decade of the
Brain', the editor and authors have cogently illuminated the progress and many of the directions we need to proceed to understand the amygdala and its anomalies.
Methods in Neurosciences: of what distinguishes this volume from the others is, therefore, Volume 8, Neurotoxins
material and the isolation of these natural products. A minor criticism, or perhaps just an irritant for an inveterate bargain hunter such as myself, is that some toxins are probably overexposed; for example, there are three chapters devoted to the botulinal neurotoxins, whereas other toxins, e.g. the pyrethroids and the polyamine amides or arylamines (I declare a self-interest here), are completely neglected. There is no doubt that the use of neurotoxins by research neuroscientists has provided fundamental information concerning the properties of membrane macromolecules of excitable cells and the important cellular processes, such as neurosecretion and transmitter release. The neuroscience potential of these natural products is far from being exhausted and, undoubtedly, many natural product toxins that target nervous systems remain to be discovered. However, it is a fact that each newly discovered neurotoxin usually commands the prolonged attention of only a small number of neuroscientists and this must limit, therefore, the demand for volumes such as Neurotoxins. Despite this drawback, Neurotoxins is eminently worthy of a place on the shelves of any toxinology laboratory.
Chance and Design
membrane depolarization. In spite of the fact that Hodgkin has made such fundamental contributions to neuroscience, the charm of his account is the humility with which he describes his work. Although Hodgkin's major scientific contribution is undoubtedly his work on the nerve action potential, and this part of his life is described with greatest enthusiasm, the book also gives an insight into many other aspects of life in England during two interesting and historically important times, namely the first and second
particularly pertinent. Unlike many of its competitors, Neuroedited by M. Conn, Academic Press, 1992. $49.95 (xvii + 423 pages) toxins contains detailed descripISBN 0 12 185265 2 (hbk); 0 12 tions of the preparation, handling and use of toxins, including, 185266 0 (pbk) according to the editor, 'those This interesting volume contains "tricks" and short cuts that freinformation on various neuro- quently do not appear in the toxins: some, such as ~-bungaro- literature' (I must hasten to add toxin and the botulinum toxins, that I have made no attempt to are well known and have already assess the validity of this claim). been used extensively in neuro- The emphasis of the book is very science research; others, such as much on the uses of toxins in palyotoxin, have less well-estab- neuroscience research, and readers lished credentials. The book's looking for guidance in this field 29 chapters are authored by will benefit greatly from the comaficionados, most of whom pro- prehensive accounts of methodvide enthusiastic accounts of the ology that characterize many of biology, purification and neuro- the chapters. In particular, gradutoxicological properties of about ate students and also, perhaps, 20 natural product toxins. How- advanced undergraduates will ever, since some chapters are find this volume a valuable aidewritten by physiologists with little m~moire for benchwork. If one experience of biochemistry or by is looking for a companion biochemists with little experience volume on 'site and mode of of physiology, it is not surprising action' then one should look that there is unevenness in con- elsewhere, assisted perhaps by tent and presentation. Despite the well-referenced chapters of this, the overall impression is Neurotoxins. good. Although many of the toxins In critically reviewing this referred to in this volume are volume, I was keenly aware of the available commercially, albeit extensive literature on neuro- often at a high price, others are toxins, which includes many not. It would have been useful, edited volumes published over therefore, to have had more inthe past few years. The question sights into the collection of source
by Alan Hodgkin, Cambridge University Press, 1992. $59.95/£40.00 (xi + 412 pages) ISBN 0 521 40099 6
This is an important book giving an account of the life and work of a distinguished scientist who has greatly contributed to our understanding of the function of the nervous system. In addition, it describes a period when scientific attitudes and world events were changing dramatically. This autobiography by Alan Hodgkin gives TINS, Vol. 15, No. 12, 1992
a taste of both scientific achievements and historical events. Hodgkin, together with A. F. Huxley and B. Katz, unravelled the mechanisms by which impulses are passed along nerve fibres, and received the Nobel Prize for this work in 1963. In a series of ingenious and elegant experiments they established that the action potential, which carries the neuronal message, is an electrical event and that the spread of this change, i.e. nerve conduction, is accomplished by ionic fluxes that then themselves cause
Peter Usherwood
Deptof LifeScience, Universityof Nottingham, Nottingham,UK NG72RD
G. Vrbov,~
DeptofAnatomy andDevelopmenta/ Biology,University CollegeLondon, GowerSt,London, UKWCIE6BT
515
World Wars. The recollections of his childhood and early experiences are particularly touching. The influence of the family's pacifist and humanitarian background on the author's moral values in later life are clearly seen throughout the autobiography. The book can be divided into three parts: firstly, recollections of Hodgkin's personal life; secondly, his experiences and work during the second World War; and lastly, his scientific work in the Physiology Department in postwar Cambridge. The description of Hodgkin's personal life is touchingly nafve, and consists more of a factual account than a real description of his personal experiences. Nevertheless, the factual information gives some insight into the way of life of the Hodgkin family. The account of the wartime experiences and Hodgkin's work on radar introduces the reader to the joint effort made by a number of distinguished scientists to help in the war effort. It appears that the talent of almost every scientist in Britain at that time was applied in this pursuit. The book describes explicitly the technical aspects of the work and its progress; however, the factual information contained in this section seems to be too detailed and dilutes what would appear to be the more important aspects of that era, such as the excitement of the successes of the group and the satisfaction of these brilliant men in their intellectual accomplishments. The most substantial part of the book is Hodgkin's account of the work on the nerve action potential, which started before the war in Cambridge and thus was interrupted. As an undergraduate, Hodgkin became interested in cell membranes, inspired by A. V. Hill's book Chemical Wave Transmission in Nerve. During the 1930s in Cambridge, Hodgkin and Huxley formed the hypothesis that action potentials are transmitted along the nerve as a result of increased ionic conductances in the neuronal membrane, and started work to prove it. The book contains a detailed description of the author's approach to 516
this problem. It describes the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the two scientists in acquiring, developing and building the apparatus, both before and after the war, that was necessary in order to solve the biological and experimental problem. In this part of the book two whole chapters are devoted to a scientific description of the work on the action potential. While this is the most important section of the book, it is so detailed that it might discourage neuroscientists who are not electrophysiologists from reading it. This would be a pity, for only in this section does the author convey his enthusiasm and
commitment that are not so apparent elsewhere. In conclusion, the book is interesting and I would recommend it to fellow neuroscientists. The autobiographical account gives an insight into the scientific approach that has led to one of the most important discoveries in neuraphysiology, and it is instructive to compare the attitude to scientific research at the time when this discovery was made to that of the present day. It seems that the approach then was more individualistic and relied almost entirely on the inventiveness of the scientist in solving technical as well as biological problems.
Books Received
8. W. Chesebro (ed.) Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Springer-
N. J. Abbott (ed.) GliaI-Neuronal Interaction (Annals of the New York Academy
Verlag, 1991. DM168.00 (viii + 288 pages) ISBN 3 540 53883 6
of Sciences, Vol. 633) New York Academy of Sciences, 1991. $154.00 (xxii + 639 pages) ISBN 0 89766 680 1
Y. Christen, J. Costentin and M. Lacour
Yves Agid (ed.) Current Trends in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease John Libbey & Co Ltd, 1992. £18.00 (xi + 106 pages) ISBN 0 86196 339 3 M. J. Aminoff (ed.) Electrodiagnosis in Clinical Neurology, 3rd edn Churchill Livingstone, 1992. £75.00 (xv + 822 pages) ISBN 0 443 08795 4 P. Bagnoli and W. Hodos (eds) The Changing Visual System Plenum Press, 1991. $105.00 (x + 420 pages) ISBN 0 306 44090 3 J. E. Blalock (ed.) Neuroimmunoendocrinology Karger, 1992. Sfr.186.00/ DM223.00/£80.90/US$149.00 (xii + 195 pages) ISBN 3 8055 5488 5 Lawrence M. Brass and Peter K. Stys Handbook of Neurological Lists Churchill Livingstone, 1991. £22.95 (xv + 397 pages) ISBN 0 443 08696 6 R. J. Broughton and R. D. Ogilvie (eds)
Sleep,
Arousal
and
Performance
Birkh~user, 1992. Sfr.128.00/DM148.00 (xv + 300 pages) ISBN 3 7643 3518 1 Sarah Bundey Genetics and Neurology, 2nd edn Churchill Livingstone, 1992. £60,00 (xvi + 459 pages) ISBN 0 443 04523 2 David Caplan Language Structure, Processing and Disorders The MIT Press, 1992. $45.00 (xvi + 515 pages) ISBN 0 262 03189 2
Effects of Ginkgo Biloba Extract (EGb 761) on the Central Nervous System Elsevier, 1992. (xiii + 172 pages) ISBN 2 906077 28 3 P. Michael Conn (ed.) Gene Expression in Neural Tissues Academic Press, 1992. $95.00 hbk, $49.95 pbk (xvii + 492 pages) ISBN 0 12 185268 7 pbk; 0 12 185267 7 hbk W. Maxwell Cowan, Eric M. Shooter, Charles F. Stevens and Richard F. Thompson (eds) Annual Review of Neurosciences Vol. 15 Annual Reviews, 1992. $44.00 (USA) $49.00 (elsewhere) (vii + 454 pages) ISBN 0 8243 2415 3 John C, Eccles The Human Psyche Routledge, 1992. £10.99 (pbk) (xv + 270 pages) ISBN 0 415 07222 0 D. Goldowitz, D. Wahlsten and R, E. Wimer (eds) Techniques for the Genetic
Analysis of Brain and Behavior: Focus on the Mouse Elsevier, 1992. $122.50/ Dfl214.00 (xiv + 530 pages) ISBN 0 444 89682 1 D, F. Horrobin (ed.) Treatment of Diabetic Neuropathy: A New Approach Churchill Livingstone, 1992. £29.50 (viii + 139 pages) ISBN 0 443 04774 X K. S. Kits, H. H. Boer and J. Joosse (eds)
Molluscan Neurobiology North Holland, 1991. Df198.00 iv + 360 pages) ISBN 0 444 85734 6 Komisarjevsky Tyler Spoken Language Comprehension The MIT Press, Lorraine
1992. $40.00 (xiv + 292 pages) ISBN 0 262 20088 0
Y. Cazals, L. Demany and K. Horner (eds)
Auditory
Physiology
and
Perception
(Advances in the Biosciences Vol. 83) Pergamon Press, 1992. £95.00 (xvii + 655 pages) ISBN 0 08 041847 3
David J. Kupfer (ed.) Reflections on Modem Psychiatry American Psychiatric Press, 1992. $28.50 (xv + 143 pages) ISBN 0 88048 516 7
TINS, Vol. 15, No. 12, 1992
reader is treated to an attractive coverage of both the discoveries and limitations that are part and parcel of current methods in brain research. In the 'Decade of the
Brain', the editor and authors have cogently illuminated the progress and many of the directions we need to proceed to understand the amygdala and its anomalies.
Methods in Neurosciences: of what distinguishes this volume from the others is, therefore, Volume 8, Neurotoxins
material and the isolation of these natural products. A minor criticism, or perhaps just an irritant for an inveterate bargain hunter such as myself, is that some toxins are probably overexposed; for example, there are three chapters devoted to the botulinal neurotoxins, whereas other toxins, e.g. the pyrethroids and the polyamine amides or arylamines (I declare a self-interest here), are completely neglected. There is no doubt that the use of neurotoxins by research neuroscientists has provided fundamental information concerning the properties of membrane macromolecules of excitable cells and the important cellular processes, such as neurosecretion and transmitter release. The neuroscience potential of these natural products is far from being exhausted and, undoubtedly, many natural product toxins that target nervous systems remain to be discovered. However, it is a fact that each newly discovered neurotoxin usually commands the prolonged attention of only a small number of neuroscientists and this must limit, therefore, the demand for volumes such as Neurotoxins. Despite this drawback, Neurotoxins is eminently worthy of a place on the shelves of any toxinology laboratory.
Chance and Design
membrane depolarization. In spite of the fact that Hodgkin has made such fundamental contributions to neuroscience, the charm of his account is the humility with which he describes his work. Although Hodgkin's major scientific contribution is undoubtedly his work on the nerve action potential, and this part of his life is described with greatest enthusiasm, the book also gives an insight into many other aspects of life in England during two interesting and historically important times, namely the first and second
particularly pertinent. Unlike many of its competitors, Neuroedited by M. Conn, Academic Press, 1992. $49.95 (xvii + 423 pages) toxins contains detailed descripISBN 0 12 185265 2 (hbk); 0 12 tions of the preparation, handling and use of toxins, including, 185266 0 (pbk) according to the editor, 'those This interesting volume contains "tricks" and short cuts that freinformation on various neuro- quently do not appear in the toxins: some, such as ~-bungaro- literature' (I must hasten to add toxin and the botulinum toxins, that I have made no attempt to are well known and have already assess the validity of this claim). been used extensively in neuro- The emphasis of the book is very science research; others, such as much on the uses of toxins in palyotoxin, have less well-estab- neuroscience research, and readers lished credentials. The book's looking for guidance in this field 29 chapters are authored by will benefit greatly from the comaficionados, most of whom pro- prehensive accounts of methodvide enthusiastic accounts of the ology that characterize many of biology, purification and neuro- the chapters. In particular, gradutoxicological properties of about ate students and also, perhaps, 20 natural product toxins. How- advanced undergraduates will ever, since some chapters are find this volume a valuable aidewritten by physiologists with little m~moire for benchwork. If one experience of biochemistry or by is looking for a companion biochemists with little experience volume on 'site and mode of of physiology, it is not surprising action' then one should look that there is unevenness in con- elsewhere, assisted perhaps by tent and presentation. Despite the well-referenced chapters of this, the overall impression is Neurotoxins. good. Although many of the toxins In critically reviewing this referred to in this volume are volume, I was keenly aware of the available commercially, albeit extensive literature on neuro- often at a high price, others are toxins, which includes many not. It would have been useful, edited volumes published over therefore, to have had more inthe past few years. The question sights into the collection of source
by Alan Hodgkin, Cambridge University Press, 1992. $59.95/£40.00 (xi + 412 pages) ISBN 0 521 40099 6
This is an important book giving an account of the life and work of a distinguished scientist who has greatly contributed to our understanding of the function of the nervous system. In addition, it describes a period when scientific attitudes and world events were changing dramatically. This autobiography by Alan Hodgkin gives TINS, Vol. 15, No. 12, 1992
a taste of both scientific achievements and historical events. Hodgkin, together with A. F. Huxley and B. Katz, unravelled the mechanisms by which impulses are passed along nerve fibres, and received the Nobel Prize for this work in 1963. In a series of ingenious and elegant experiments they established that the action potential, which carries the neuronal message, is an electrical event and that the spread of this change, i.e. nerve conduction, is accomplished by ionic fluxes that then themselves cause
Peter Usherwood
Deptof LifeScience, Universityof Nottingham, Nottingham,UK NG72RD
G. Vrbov,~
DeptofAnatomy andDevelopmenta/ Biology,University CollegeLondon, GowerSt,London, UKWCIE6BT
515
World Wars. The recollections of his childhood and early experiences are particularly touching. The influence of the family's pacifist and humanitarian background on the author's moral values in later life are clearly seen throughout the autobiography. The book can be divided into three parts: firstly, recollections of Hodgkin's personal life; secondly, his experiences and work during the second World War; and lastly, his scientific work in the Physiology Department in postwar Cambridge. The description of Hodgkin's personal life is touchingly nafve, and consists more of a factual account than a real description of his personal experiences. Nevertheless, the factual information gives some insight into the way of life of the Hodgkin family. The account of the wartime experiences and Hodgkin's work on radar introduces the reader to the joint effort made by a number of distinguished scientists to help in the war effort. It appears that the talent of almost every scientist in Britain at that time was applied in this pursuit. The book describes explicitly the technical aspects of the work and its progress; however, the factual information contained in this section seems to be too detailed and dilutes what would appear to be the more important aspects of that era, such as the excitement of the successes of the group and the satisfaction of these brilliant men in their intellectual accomplishments. The most substantial part of the book is Hodgkin's account of the work on the nerve action potential, which started before the war in Cambridge and thus was interrupted. As an undergraduate, Hodgkin became interested in cell membranes, inspired by A. V. Hill's book Chemical Wave Transmission in Nerve. During the 1930s in Cambridge, Hodgkin and Huxley formed the hypothesis that action potentials are transmitted along the nerve as a result of increased ionic conductances in the neuronal membrane, and started work to prove it. The book contains a detailed description of the author's approach to 516
this problem. It describes the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the two scientists in acquiring, developing and building the apparatus, both before and after the war, that was necessary in order to solve the biological and experimental problem. In this part of the book two whole chapters are devoted to a scientific description of the work on the action potential. While this is the most important section of the book, it is so detailed that it might discourage neuroscientists who are not electrophysiologists from reading it. This would be a pity, for only in this section does the author convey his enthusiasm and
commitment that are not so apparent elsewhere. In conclusion, the book is interesting and I would recommend it to fellow neuroscientists. The autobiographical account gives an insight into the scientific approach that has led to one of the most important discoveries in neuraphysiology, and it is instructive to compare the attitude to scientific research at the time when this discovery was made to that of the present day. It seems that the approach then was more individualistic and relied almost entirely on the inventiveness of the scientist in solving technical as well as biological problems.
Books Received
8. W. Chesebro (ed.) Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Springer-
N. J. Abbott (ed.) GliaI-Neuronal Interaction (Annals of the New York Academy
Verlag, 1991. DM168.00 (viii + 288 pages) ISBN 3 540 53883 6
of Sciences, Vol. 633) New York Academy of Sciences, 1991. $154.00 (xxii + 639 pages) ISBN 0 89766 680 1
Y. Christen, J. Costentin and M. Lacour
Yves Agid (ed.) Current Trends in the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease John Libbey & Co Ltd, 1992. £18.00 (xi + 106 pages) ISBN 0 86196 339 3 M. J. Aminoff (ed.) Electrodiagnosis in Clinical Neurology, 3rd edn Churchill Livingstone, 1992. £75.00 (xv + 822 pages) ISBN 0 443 08795 4 P. Bagnoli and W. Hodos (eds) The Changing Visual System Plenum Press, 1991. $105.00 (x + 420 pages) ISBN 0 306 44090 3 J. E. Blalock (ed.) Neuroimmunoendocrinology Karger, 1992. Sfr.186.00/ DM223.00/£80.90/US$149.00 (xii + 195 pages) ISBN 3 8055 5488 5 Lawrence M. Brass and Peter K. Stys Handbook of Neurological Lists Churchill Livingstone, 1991. £22.95 (xv + 397 pages) ISBN 0 443 08696 6 R. J. Broughton and R. D. Ogilvie (eds)
Sleep,
Arousal
and
Performance
Birkh~user, 1992. Sfr.128.00/DM148.00 (xv + 300 pages) ISBN 3 7643 3518 1 Sarah Bundey Genetics and Neurology, 2nd edn Churchill Livingstone, 1992. £60,00 (xvi + 459 pages) ISBN 0 443 04523 2 David Caplan Language Structure, Processing and Disorders The MIT Press, 1992. $45.00 (xvi + 515 pages) ISBN 0 262 03189 2
Effects of Ginkgo Biloba Extract (EGb 761) on the Central Nervous System Elsevier, 1992. (xiii + 172 pages) ISBN 2 906077 28 3 P. Michael Conn (ed.) Gene Expression in Neural Tissues Academic Press, 1992. $95.00 hbk, $49.95 pbk (xvii + 492 pages) ISBN 0 12 185268 7 pbk; 0 12 185267 7 hbk W. Maxwell Cowan, Eric M. Shooter, Charles F. Stevens and Richard F. Thompson (eds) Annual Review of Neurosciences Vol. 15 Annual Reviews, 1992. $44.00 (USA) $49.00 (elsewhere) (vii + 454 pages) ISBN 0 8243 2415 3 John C, Eccles The Human Psyche Routledge, 1992. £10.99 (pbk) (xv + 270 pages) ISBN 0 415 07222 0 D. Goldowitz, D. Wahlsten and R, E. Wimer (eds) Techniques for the Genetic
Analysis of Brain and Behavior: Focus on the Mouse Elsevier, 1992. $122.50/ Dfl214.00 (xiv + 530 pages) ISBN 0 444 89682 1 D, F. Horrobin (ed.) Treatment of Diabetic Neuropathy: A New Approach Churchill Livingstone, 1992. £29.50 (viii + 139 pages) ISBN 0 443 04774 X K. S. Kits, H. H. Boer and J. Joosse (eds)
Molluscan Neurobiology North Holland, 1991. Df198.00 iv + 360 pages) ISBN 0 444 85734 6 Komisarjevsky Tyler Spoken Language Comprehension The MIT Press, Lorraine
1992. $40.00 (xiv + 292 pages) ISBN 0 262 20088 0
Y. Cazals, L. Demany and K. Horner (eds)
Auditory
Physiology
and
Perception
(Advances in the Biosciences Vol. 83) Pergamon Press, 1992. £95.00 (xvii + 655 pages) ISBN 0 08 041847 3
David J. Kupfer (ed.) Reflections on Modem Psychiatry American Psychiatric Press, 1992. $28.50 (xv + 143 pages) ISBN 0 88048 516 7
TINS, Vol. 15, No. 12, 1992