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Ciba foundation symposium 160: Regeneration of vertebrate sensory receptor cells
236
lournal of the NeurologicalSciences, 111 (1992) 236-237 © 1992 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. All rights reserved 0022-510X/92/$05.00
Book reviews Ciba Foundation Symposium 160: Regeneration of vertebrate sensory receptor cells, b y G r e g o r y R. B l o c k a n d J u l i e W h e l a n (eds.), 1991, J o h n W i l e y a n d Sons, 341 p a g e s , $39.50, I S B N 0 471 929 603 This volume is the result of a Ciba Foundation Symposium held in December 1990. An international panel of experts convened to discuss regeneration of sensory receptor in a number of systems. Each paper contained in this volume is followed by a lengthy discussion of the presentation and includes additional references cited by the conferees. The bibliographies at the end of each chapter are representative and contain articles to 1991. The book is well produced and the photographic reproductions vary from good to excellent. As noted in the Introduction by the meeting's chair, Edwin Rubel. one in 800 babies is born every year with hearing impairment and when hearing loss due to aging is included, auditory sensory loss may affect 600 million people world wide. Vision and taste/smell disorders affect an additional 100 million each. Thus, while often not life threatening, sensory disorders can greatly diminish the quality of life. Dr. Rubel states that his goal was to bring investigators working in different sensory systems together and to attempt to synthesize new approaches to the problem of sensory neuron regeneration. The meeting's organizers should be lauded for the range and diversity of the speakers that presented papers at this meeting. Studies of electroreception (H.H. Zakon) and lateral line organs (J.M. Jorgensen) are included along with olfaction (R.M. Costanzo, A.L, Calof et al., B. Oakley), vision (P.A. Raymond, T.A. Rehet al., G.V. Lopashov), vestibular organs (J.M. Jorgensesn) and audition (Rubel et al., J.T. Corwin et al., D.A. Cotanche et al.). Examples of regeneration are drawn from mammalian and non-mammalian vertebrates, and invertebrates are represented in a chapter on sensory neuron production in Drosophila(J. Lewis). In addition to the above mentioned chapters, an introduction to the general architecture of sensory neuroepithelia is provided by Sandford L, Palay. This chapter provides a concise, pithy description that will be most useful to readers with at least some familiarity of sensory organs. Also interesting is a chapter by C.S. Potten on proliferation of intestinal epithelium. This chapter may seem out of place as it does not directly pertain to sensory neurobiology. Nonetheless, as a pionee~ in the field of stem cell proliferation kinetics, Dr. Potten's chapter shows how the behavior of stem cells can be approached quantitatively and how biologists outside the field of neurobiology approach the problem of cell proliferation. The extensive quantitative analysis also provides an interesting contrast to the primarily descriptive analysis in the other chapters. The book cooclud~s with a general discussion of the work presented and future directions. Four questions are posed R.D. Fernald that encompass the major points of the preceding discussions: (1) what is the relationship between regeneration and developments (2) how many stem cells are there and can they be identified, (3) what are the rules of stem cell division, and (4) what factors regulate stem cell division. These four questions are not clearly addressed in the remainder of the discussion because the participants primarily limited the discussion to a lively debate sparked by the question number 1, the relationship between regeneration and development. Although regeneration is often used as a model for development (and vice versa), few authors address the appropriateness of using one phenomenon to act as a model for another. Not surprisingly, the researchers here do not reach a consensus, each one raising points
from their favorite system to argue both sides of the proposition. For students, one dividend of this discussion is that the unanswered questions suggest the starting point of several good projects. As suggested by the chair in the Introduction, the panel discussions including the final chapter, are at least as useful, if not more so, as the individual articles themselves. They highlight the similarities and dissimilarities of the behavior of neuroepithelium in various systems and the approaches being used to investigate them. Investigators looking for a book that will explain why sensory epithelium regenerates in some systems and not in others will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a good overview of the field, this book will serve that purpose nicely. BRIAN M. DAVIS,PH.D. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology University of Kentucky Medical Center Lexington, KY 40636-0064, USA
Clinician's Guide to Nuclear Medicine: Brain Blood Flow in Neurology and Psychiatry, D.C. C o s t a a n d P.J. Ell, 1991, C h u r c h i l l L i v i n g s t o n e , E d i n b u r g h , £14.95, I S B N 0-443-04282-9
183 pages,
This book is one of a series entitled "Clinician's Guide to Nuclear Medicine". In the preface it is stated that this series of books intends to present the clinical utility of nuclear medicine to all doctors, if one takes this purpose literally, the book fails to make a case for the clinical utility of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) or single photon emission computerized tomogmphy (SPELT) in human disease. For persons interested in the subject of brain blood flow, chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 describe the evolution of regional cerebral blood flow SPECT studies by going into a number of technical aspects of this form of brain imaging. There is a succinct description of the methods used for analyzing the data obtained in CBF-SPECT studies, as well as a description of the way to interpret the brain images. Good illustrations of transverse slices of normal images are compared with autopsy transverse sections from the brain. These are very well done. Pages 58-108 address the subject of using this testing technique in cerebral diseases. First, there is a summary of SPECT investigations of persons with migraine. The authors conclude that while changes in the perfusion of the cortex do occur in some patients with headaches, the changes are not consistent. The findings in patients with Parkinsonism are summarized and one can conclude that there is no significant advantage to this method of imaging compared to more traditional ones. A place where rCBF-SPECT imaging may be of significant advantage is for depicting epileptic foci in patients with partial complex seizures (referred to as temporal lobe epilepsy in the book). Next the authors write about various types of dementia and conclude that "the investigation of dementia of the Alzheimer's type is improved with an objective assessment of the perfusion patterns of the cerebral cortex". The actual reliability of this method in accurate differential diagnosis remains to he established. The last general subject of this portion of the book is "cerebrovascular disease" and "space-occupying diseases". The authors feel that this technique can identify acute stroke "less than 12-24 hours after the clinical onset" but ! found no evidence presented that this test does as good a job as
lournal of the NeurologicalSciences, 111 (1992) 236-237 © 1992 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. All rights reserved 0022-510X/92/$05.00
Book reviews Ciba Foundation Symposium 160: Regeneration of vertebrate sensory receptor cells, b y G r e g o r y R. B l o c k a n d J u l i e W h e l a n (eds.), 1991, J o h n W i l e y a n d Sons, 341 p a g e s , $39.50, I S B N 0 471 929 603 This volume is the result of a Ciba Foundation Symposium held in December 1990. An international panel of experts convened to discuss regeneration of sensory receptor in a number of systems. Each paper contained in this volume is followed by a lengthy discussion of the presentation and includes additional references cited by the conferees. The bibliographies at the end of each chapter are representative and contain articles to 1991. The book is well produced and the photographic reproductions vary from good to excellent. As noted in the Introduction by the meeting's chair, Edwin Rubel. one in 800 babies is born every year with hearing impairment and when hearing loss due to aging is included, auditory sensory loss may affect 600 million people world wide. Vision and taste/smell disorders affect an additional 100 million each. Thus, while often not life threatening, sensory disorders can greatly diminish the quality of life. Dr. Rubel states that his goal was to bring investigators working in different sensory systems together and to attempt to synthesize new approaches to the problem of sensory neuron regeneration. The meeting's organizers should be lauded for the range and diversity of the speakers that presented papers at this meeting. Studies of electroreception (H.H. Zakon) and lateral line organs (J.M. Jorgensen) are included along with olfaction (R.M. Costanzo, A.L, Calof et al., B. Oakley), vision (P.A. Raymond, T.A. Rehet al., G.V. Lopashov), vestibular organs (J.M. Jorgensesn) and audition (Rubel et al., J.T. Corwin et al., D.A. Cotanche et al.). Examples of regeneration are drawn from mammalian and non-mammalian vertebrates, and invertebrates are represented in a chapter on sensory neuron production in Drosophila(J. Lewis). In addition to the above mentioned chapters, an introduction to the general architecture of sensory neuroepithelia is provided by Sandford L, Palay. This chapter provides a concise, pithy description that will be most useful to readers with at least some familiarity of sensory organs. Also interesting is a chapter by C.S. Potten on proliferation of intestinal epithelium. This chapter may seem out of place as it does not directly pertain to sensory neurobiology. Nonetheless, as a pionee~ in the field of stem cell proliferation kinetics, Dr. Potten's chapter shows how the behavior of stem cells can be approached quantitatively and how biologists outside the field of neurobiology approach the problem of cell proliferation. The extensive quantitative analysis also provides an interesting contrast to the primarily descriptive analysis in the other chapters. The book cooclud~s with a general discussion of the work presented and future directions. Four questions are posed R.D. Fernald that encompass the major points of the preceding discussions: (1) what is the relationship between regeneration and developments (2) how many stem cells are there and can they be identified, (3) what are the rules of stem cell division, and (4) what factors regulate stem cell division. These four questions are not clearly addressed in the remainder of the discussion because the participants primarily limited the discussion to a lively debate sparked by the question number 1, the relationship between regeneration and development. Although regeneration is often used as a model for development (and vice versa), few authors address the appropriateness of using one phenomenon to act as a model for another. Not surprisingly, the researchers here do not reach a consensus, each one raising points
from their favorite system to argue both sides of the proposition. For students, one dividend of this discussion is that the unanswered questions suggest the starting point of several good projects. As suggested by the chair in the Introduction, the panel discussions including the final chapter, are at least as useful, if not more so, as the individual articles themselves. They highlight the similarities and dissimilarities of the behavior of neuroepithelium in various systems and the approaches being used to investigate them. Investigators looking for a book that will explain why sensory epithelium regenerates in some systems and not in others will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a good overview of the field, this book will serve that purpose nicely. BRIAN M. DAVIS,PH.D. Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology University of Kentucky Medical Center Lexington, KY 40636-0064, USA
Clinician's Guide to Nuclear Medicine: Brain Blood Flow in Neurology and Psychiatry, D.C. C o s t a a n d P.J. Ell, 1991, C h u r c h i l l L i v i n g s t o n e , E d i n b u r g h , £14.95, I S B N 0-443-04282-9
183 pages,
This book is one of a series entitled "Clinician's Guide to Nuclear Medicine". In the preface it is stated that this series of books intends to present the clinical utility of nuclear medicine to all doctors, if one takes this purpose literally, the book fails to make a case for the clinical utility of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) or single photon emission computerized tomogmphy (SPELT) in human disease. For persons interested in the subject of brain blood flow, chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 describe the evolution of regional cerebral blood flow SPECT studies by going into a number of technical aspects of this form of brain imaging. There is a succinct description of the methods used for analyzing the data obtained in CBF-SPECT studies, as well as a description of the way to interpret the brain images. Good illustrations of transverse slices of normal images are compared with autopsy transverse sections from the brain. These are very well done. Pages 58-108 address the subject of using this testing technique in cerebral diseases. First, there is a summary of SPECT investigations of persons with migraine. The authors conclude that while changes in the perfusion of the cortex do occur in some patients with headaches, the changes are not consistent. The findings in patients with Parkinsonism are summarized and one can conclude that there is no significant advantage to this method of imaging compared to more traditional ones. A place where rCBF-SPECT imaging may be of significant advantage is for depicting epileptic foci in patients with partial complex seizures (referred to as temporal lobe epilepsy in the book). Next the authors write about various types of dementia and conclude that "the investigation of dementia of the Alzheimer's type is improved with an objective assessment of the perfusion patterns of the cerebral cortex". The actual reliability of this method in accurate differential diagnosis remains to he established. The last general subject of this portion of the book is "cerebrovascular disease" and "space-occupying diseases". The authors feel that this technique can identify acute stroke "less than 12-24 hours after the clinical onset" but ! found no evidence presented that this test does as good a job as