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Book Reviews

paper. Lazarovici et al. relate on the retrograde axional transport of tetanus toxin in the sciatic nerve and Critchley et al. focus on the uptake mechanisms of this toxin in neurons. Whereas this uptake was initially assumed to be dependent on m e m b r a n e gangliosides, experimental evidence is now presented in favor of a protein-mediated mechanism. In Part 3, the papers of Sullivan et al. and Reinhard et al. deal with the synthetic c o m p o u n d M P T P and parkinsonism. In fact, it is not M P T P itself, but its metabolite M P P + which is responsible for the selective destruction of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in certain species such as m a n and mouse but not in others such as the rat. The first paper describes the MAO-B-mediated transformation of M P T P into its active metabolite, a process that takes place outside the dopaminergic neurons. Using the bovine adrenomedullary chromafin cell as a model system, the second paper proposes that the uneven toxicity of M PP + for different cells might be related to its intracellular disposition rather than to its uptake. Although speculative, the studies on M P T P suggest that idiopathic Parkinson's disease may be related to the occurrence of endogenous toxins. Part 4 deals with toxins affecting ion channels. Much attention is devoted to a relatively new and very promising source of neurotoxins: the venoms from cone snails, a large family of gastropods living in tropical waters. In the opening paper, Gray discerns the presence of three types of toxins in the venom of C. geographus: ~t-conotoxins which interact with nicotinic receptors, ~-conotoxins which block voltageactivated Na + channels in muscle but not in brain and ~o-conotoxins which represent, up to now, the only effective tools to study voltage-activated Ca ~+ channels involved in neurosecretion, i.e. the Na + channels. These latter toxins are scrutinized in greater detail in the paper by Thayer et al. The second part of their paper is focused on the use of excitatory amino acids to investigate receptor-operated Ca 2+ channels. Part 4 is concluded by the paper of Seagar et al. on the use of apamin (a small peptide present in bee venom) to investigate calcium-activated K + channels. The last part of this book i's devoted to some newly discovered toxins. Odell et al. describe several spider venom toxins. Advances in micro-separation techniques will certainly increase the availability of such toxins to the neurochemist. Sevcik et al. indicate that sponges m a y contain planctonic toxins as well as some of their own. Lazarovici et al. report on the ability of pardaxin (a peptide present in the skin secretion of the Red Sea Moses sole) to stimulate the release ofneurotransmitters at the neuromuscular junction by forming voltage-gated pores in the membrane. Dajas et al. finally report on the anticholinesterase activity of fasciculins. Neurotoxins in Neurochemistry covers the essential aspects on this interesting and promising research area. The book is as valuable for people already in the field as for beginners possessing at least some basic knowledge of protein chemistry and neurochemistry.

rapidly expanding fields in neuroscience. It consists of the proceedings of an international symposium on Excitatory Amino Acids 1988 held in Brazil; such proceedings can be uneven in quality: the present volume is of a very high standard throughout. Although the meeting concentrated on the interface between basic research and potential clinical applications, it provides an invaluable source book for the latest advances in the basic research in this field. The papers are arranged in 12 separate sections. These include sections dealing with the biochemical and electrophysiological aspects of E A A action, modulators of N M D A receptors, the role of EAAs in learning and memory. These sections dealing with E A A receptors at the molecular level, are interspersed with ones on the potential therapeutic use of E A A antagonists in epilepsy, anxiety, spasticity and stroke. Intermediate between these molecular and clinical aspects are sections dealing with the role of EAAs in sensory and motor control. W h a t is striking is that the volume is concerned only with the postsynaptic effects of EAAs since it deals exclusively with E A A receptors, with the major emphasis on the N M D A subtype. The relative importance of the QA and K A receptors is very much less clear. Furthermore there is no mention of presynaptic glutamate receptors, particularly the presynaptic autoreceptors, whose function at present is very puzzling. The complete absence of papers dealing with E A A release is probably a reflection of the fact that measurement of such release under physiological conditions has proved extremely difficult. The volume is unusually successful in presenting a multidisciplinary approach to the role of EAAs. The review papers and those containing experimental results blend well. If one were to select the best a m o n g a collection of very high quality papers it would probably be the chapter on learning, memory and EAAs, which interestingly was also voted the best session by popular vote at the time of the conference. There is now extensive evidence which suggests a role for N M D A receptors in neuronal plasticity. This chapter consists of papers which provide supporting evidence from a variety of experimental approaches to this problem. The book will be of value to research workers in a wide variety of fields.

GEORGES VAUQUELIN Georges Vauquelin is at the Department o f Protein Chemistry, Free University o f Brussels (V.U.B.), Belgium.

An enormous a m o u n t of interest has been generated by the recent growth in new and very powerful brain imaging techniques. Examples of these include computerized axial tomography, nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy and positron emission tomography. This volume provides a good introduction for newcomers to certain aspects of this sometimes bewildering field. It comprises Volume 8 of the Neuromethods series established by H u m a n a Press several years ago, and is a welcome addition to the series.

Frontiers in Excitatory Amino Research (Neurology and Neurobiology, Volume 46). Edited by E. A. CAVALHEIRO,J. LEHMANN and L. TURSKI. Alan R. Liss, New York, 1988. Frontiers in Excitatory Amino Acid Research is true to its title and provides an up-to-date picture of one of the most

MARIANNE F1LLENZ Marianne Fillenz is a University Lecturer at the Laboratory o f Physiology, Parks Road, Oxford O X I 3PT, England.

Imaging and Correlative Physicochemical Techniques (Neuromethods, Volume 8). Edited by A. A. BOULTON, G. B. BAKER and D. P. J. BOISVERT. ISBN 0 89603 116 0. Price: $69.50 ($79.50 outside U.S.A.). H u m a n a Press, Clifton, N.J., 1988.

Book Reviews The book is divided into nine chapters. The first, by J. O. Rowan, describes various techniques for measurement of cerebral blood flow by the use of diffusible, inert gases. Such techniques were pioneered by Kety and Schmidt in the 1940s and have become refined and adapted in modern laboratories. The chapter introduces the topic by outlining the theory and assumptions behind the techniques, and then goes on to describe the advantages and disadvantages of various gases for such investigations, as well as their different routes of administration. The use of the hydrogen clearance technique, basically only in animal models, and positron emission tomography (PET scanning) for human studies is discussed. The following three chapters by L. M. Auer, J. H. Greenberg and P. Herscovitch expand upon this theme. They describe the various ways of measuring pial blood vessel haemodynamics, the use of autoradiography to examine cerebral function, and the use of PET to measure cerebral dynamics and study cerebral metabolism. The range of topics covered in these chapters is large, and includes discussions of anatomical procedures such as angiography for examining the cerebral vasculature, and the use of computer-aided analysis to gain a more accurate idea of vessel calibres, flow rates, etc. The chapter on autoradiography gives a very comprehensive review of the 2-deoxyglucose technique developed by Sokoloff and his colleagues, and the following chapter explains how this technique has been adapted, through the use of the positron emitter 18-fluorine, to PET. J. W. Prichard and R. G. Shulman then explain how nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques can be used to shed light on the function of living brain material. This chapter gives a detailed description of the technique and includes examples of data derived from its use. The explanation of various ways in which "editing" can be performed on the highly complex spectra to facilitate identification and analysis of individual peaks forms an interesting section of the chapter. The next chapter by P. S. Allen describes the use of NMR as a non-invasive, relatively high resolution technique to investigate the structure of elements of the central nervous system. This chapter covers the basic principles of the technique, methods of producing images, and the various nuclear relaxation methods involved as well as methods for enhancing image contrast. The last three chapters describe somewhat different strategies for examining the structure and function of cerebral brain tissue. These form the "correlative physicochemical techniques" portion of the book. The first of these, by N. M. Branston and R. J. Harris, covers the measurement of cerebral ions mainly by use of ion-selective electrodes. Spectrophotometric methods are also mentioned, such as electron probe X-ray microanalysis. Included in this chapter is a detailed description of the preparation and calibration of an extracellular ion-sensitive electrode, and its use for studying attributes of focal brain ischaemia. Finally, there is a chapter by A. Bruun and L. Edvinsson on immunocytochemical methods for studying putative neurotransmitters in nervous tissue, and one by B. L. Grundy on the study of sensory-evoked potentials by electrophysiological techniques. Both of these chapters seem to have been included for the sake of completeness, but the material in them is covered much more comprehensively in other reviews.

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Although the various chapters in the book do not pretend to include comprehensive literature reviews, they point the reader in the direction of further reading. The editors provide a useful index, and the volume is not overly expensive. In summary, Imaging and Correlative Physicochemical Techniques is a good introduction for the reader wishing to understand what some of the new brain imaging methodologies are all about. R. A. LESLXE

R. A. Leslie is at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Radcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, England.

Autonomic Failure: A Textbook of Clinical Disorders of the Autonomic Nervous System, 2nd edition. Edited by Sla ROGER BANNISTER.ISBN 0-19-261664-I. Price: $98. Oxford Medical Publications, Oxford, 1988.

The editor's objective in compiling this book was to provide a "comprehensive scientific basis for diagnosis and treatment o f . . . autonomic disorders...". He has approached this through separate chapters dealing with clinical topics and with fundamental aspects of autonomic function. The natural and intended audience for this book will consist of clinicians who are dealing with problems of autonomic function. For the most part, then, the book is not directed at the kind of audience which normally reads Neurochemistry International. However, as is made clear in the preface there have been rapid advances in neurochemical aspects of autonomic function since the first edition of this book in 1983; there are several chapters that deal with neurochemical subjects directly, and more that deal with this area indirectly. The book is arranged in three major sections. The first covers "Scientific aspects of structure and function". There is a good balance here between human and experimental animal studies; the bias is in favour of the cardiovascular system and, while most authors have something to say that is of neurochemical or neuropharmacological interest, there is no single chapter that is devoted to these subjects. The second section deals explicitly with clinical and pathophysiological topics. Several chapters in this section are devoted to various aspects of central or peripheral neurotransmitter chemistry in autonomic disease. The third section is entitled "Other autonomic dysfunction syndromes"; some of the chapters here deal with diabetic neuropathies and others with autonomic problems in, for example, alcoholics, porphyria patients and pain syndromes. The 42 chapters that make up the book vary considerably in length, but style and treatment are nevertheless relatively uniform and are of a high standard. The contributors are in any case nearly all well known and respected. In the past, studies of the autonomic system have been of quite fundamental significance to the development of our ideas of chemical neurotransmission. Rapid progress continues to be made in this area, as illustrated, for instance, by work on neuropeptide systems particularly as regards co-transmission by peptides and classical autonomic transmitters: But for all this it is striking that much of the neurochemical work in autonomic disease states remains descriptive rather than functional. The professional neurochemist could well profit from reading this book, not least because it illustrates the considerable opportunities that now exist to