Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain (**)

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Quite well, and Luo lists his own large and impressive list of “critical and developmental advisors and consultants” who helped him. In particular, Chapters 23 and 25 focus on brain plasticity, which has become an area of intense experimental interest. The book provides well-selected introductions to topics that build from the basic cellular substrates of neurobiology to cognitive systems including circadian rhythms, sexual behavior, and sleep. So there is no need to address legacy-chapters by previous or new authors, a potential issue with multiply-authored textbooks. This will be welcome no matter how the course is taught—whether in traditional lecture format or by the rising tide of “flipped classroom” pedagogy.

Neuroscience: Exploring The Brain, Enhanced Edition

Includes a section for a younger audience -Neuromads-, where authors will publish articles accompanying each submission in a close and attractive language, that will be peer-reviewed by teenagers. The developmental liability of cortical wiring due to experience will be familiar to readers of other textbooks. But the obvious advantage of a tag-team, multiple authors approach should be a guarantee that every chapter and topic in text would be covered by accomplished, well-known experts writing about her-his specialty.In conclusion, Liqun Luo’s “Principles” is a welcome addition to an already excellent portfolio of introductory textbooks in neuroscience. In particular, discussion of genetic techniques including the likely revolutionary genome engineering made possible by the CRISPR-Cas9 technology makes this text up-to-date. Furthermore, every chapter in the book has been thoroughly revised with an emphasis on what we judged to be major advances since 1995.

Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain, Enhanced Edition:

This text should also be worth a look from neurobiology instructors in psychology departments, because it is so strong in the basics. However, the well-chosen and depicted figure set alleviate my complaint (full disclosure—my interest is in mechanoreception—hearing and touch). The Second Edition includes a neuroanatomy atlas with a self-testing feature as well as new chapters on sex and the brain, motivation, and mental illness. We, in conjunction with John Woolsey, with whom we have collaborated in the past, developed an expansive and, we believe, exceptional set of illustrations that, hand in hand with our words, describes and illuminates the world of the brain.

Students have online access to a “journal club,” flashcards, and their own access to animations and videos.