Neurobehavioural Teratology

T I N S - February 1985

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30 Irwin, I and Langston, J W Lzfe Sct (m press) 31 Javltch, J A , U h I , G R andSnyder, S H (1984) Proc NatlAcad Scl 81, 4591--4595 32 Parsons, B and Rainbow, T C (1984) Soc Neuroscl Abstr 10, 1091 33 Javltch, J A , D'Amato, R J , Stnttrnatter, S M and Snyder, S H Proc Natl Acad Scl (m press) 34 Jawtch, J A and Snyder, S H (1984) Eur J Pharmacol 106,455-456 35 Blrkmayer, W , Knoll, J , Rlederer, P and

Neurobehavioural

Teratology

edited by Joseph Yanal, Elsewer Science Publishers BV, 1984_ US$ 134 50/Dfl 350 O0 (xxi + 454 pages) ISBN 0 444 80516 8 N e u r o b e h a w o u r a l teratology is a new field that has arisen as an offshoot of 'structural' teratology, it relates to insults to the developing nervous system below teratogenlc levels and with an effect on later neurobehavioural function A new dimension has been added in relation to identifying biochemical or neurophyslological changes which could mediate the effects and this forms a significant c o m p o n e n t of this comprehensive volume on the subject Joseph Yanal has assembled a distinguished international group of experts for the 19 contributions, each of which is a comprehensive review with an extensive bibliography The book is divided into six sections, the first provides an overview of the field and some of the methodological issues, the second and third sections are devoted to drugs of use and abuse, covenng barbiturates and other anticonvulsants, benzodlazepines, alcohol, opiates and m a r i h u a n a These are mainly oriented to the clinical problems in humans, with some comparative animal studies, except for the fetal alcohol syndrome which is an in depth neurohistologlcal and neurobiological study in the rat The fourth section addresses the role of neurotransmitters in neural development and the possible influences of drugs of use and abuse The fifth relates to h o r m o n e s and vitamins with three contributions: the effects of hypo- and hyper-thyroldlSm on the nervous system, the influence of glucocortlCOld levels on CNS development (both of these chapters relating mainly to animal work), and a cntical review of the possible role of vitamin deficiency

Youdlm, M B P (1983) Mod Probl Pharmacopsychtatry 19, 170-176 Calne, D B and Langston, J W (1983) Lancet n, 1457-1459 Ward, D P , D u v o l s m , R , C , I n c e , S E , Nutt, J D , Eldndge, R and Calne, D B (1983) Neurology 33,815--824 Langston, J W and Ballard, P A (1983) N Engl J Med 309, 310 Langston, J W m Recent Developments m Parkmson's Disease, Raven Press,New York (in press)

40 Chlba, K , Peterson, L A , Castagnoh, K P ,Trevor, A J and Castagnoll,N (1985) in Drug Metabohsm and Disposition DMD (m press)

in the pathogenesls of neural tube defects m h u m a n s The final section covers the neural and behavioural sequelae of exposure to heavy metals with particular reference to mercury and lead. This book is a mine of interesting and useful information and provides a comprehensive source of soentlfiC knowledge, not only for those actively

engaged in research on neurobehavloural teratology but also for obstetnclans, paediatncians and perlnatologlsts who may be interested in the effects of these teratogens on the h u m a n fetus_

Random

matlcal The binomial and Gausslan distributions are described. The chapter ends with a description of how to set up a diffusion experiment in the laboratory, one that is stabilized against convection and can be watched for weeks for enjoyment and edification_ The macroscopic t r e a t m e n t of diffusion Is given in chapter 2, starting with a derivation of Flck's laws from the r a n d o m walk The most fascinating part of thin chapter is the t r e a t m e n t of diffusion to absorbing surfaces The first result that runs counter to intuition is that the on-rate to such surfaces is proportional to the linear size of an oblect, not to its surface area Pursuing ttus, Berg explains that the surface of a cell may be covered by less than 1% (in area) with a single type of binding site, yet the on-rate to these sites can be as much as 50% of the rate to the entire cell surface - diffusion is exotic, but efficient! These results are drawn from Berg and Purcell's seminal paper on the physics of chemoreceptIon (1977, Biophys J 20, 193-219) B o t h capacitive and resistive electrical analogues are used to derive and describe the results The next chapter shows how to compute the probability of capture. M e a n times to capture are treated by a simple derivation of the differential equation for the m e a n R a n d o m walk with drift is discussed in chapter 4, where the EinsteinSmoluchowskl relation is derived. Viscosity is studied as a means of estimating the frictional drag coefficient of

36 37

38 39

Walks in Biology

by H C Berg, Princeton University Press, 1983. £15 30 hx + 142 pages) ISBN 0 691 08245 6 Life in the microscopic world is dominated by diffusion and viscosity We d o n ' t always appreciate how different this world is from the macroscopic world of everyday experience. To deal intelhgently with molecules and cells we need to sharpen our intuition Berg provades us with a set of dehghtful but technically sound lessons on the world of the small The topics include r a n d o m walk, diffusion to capture, sedimentation, electrophoresis, bacterial motility, and partition chromatography, along with the relevant mathematical tools of probability and dlstnbutlons, and diffusion equations Perhaps the greatest value of the book lies not in the particular topics covered but In Its economy of thought Berg has the insight and self-assurance to write about each topic with brief simplicity, building on the elementary notions introduced early in the book, primarily the one-dimensional r a n d o m walk. For the reader this means that formerly disparate topics are brought together and examined in a clear light The microscopic theory of diffusion is covered in chapter 1, using the random-walk model. The distance particles can diffuse in a reasonable time is estimated numerically - a hallmark of the author's approach, which is physical rather than mathe-

J Wtlham Langston ts Director, Parkmson's Disease Research Program, The lnstztute for Medical Research, and Cha:rman, Department of Neurology, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, Cahforma 95128, USA

V DUBOWITZ Department of Paedzatncs, Hammersmah Hospital, London WI2 0HS, UK