Cytokines and the CNS / Edition 2

by Richard M. Ransohoff, Etty N. Benveniste

Overview

Provides Insight into How Cytokine Action Impacts the Physiology and Pathology of the CNS.

As with the first edition of Cytokines and the CNS, this completely updated and revised edition introduces neurobiologists to cytokine biology and immunologists to the unique functions of cytokines in CNS physiology. The dramatically accelerating interest in cytokines and cytokine/chemokine signaling over the past several years has encouraged an explosion of literature on cytokines. The similarity between factors involved in inflammation or immunity, and those implicated in neural development, physiology, and repair has become so apparent that familiarity with cytokines must now be considered an essential element in the neurobiologist’s cognitive tool-kit. Conversely, for immunobiologists, the concepts elaborated by neurobiologists to understand developmental patterning and networked organ function continue to evolve in such a way that comprehension of cytokine action in the CNS can only enhance a further understanding of immune system function. 

Cytokines and the CNS, Second Edition is patterned after the first edition; however, the wealth of knowledge now available adds a tremendous amount of insight and new implications. To guarantee a fresh perspective, the editors made a conscious choice to utilize an entirely new set of contributors, all experts in various aspects of cytokine research.

Cytokines and the CNS, Second Edition starts with a chapter on the CNS, focusing on pathological reactions to insult. Next, come three chapters on cytokine biology, followed by four chapters that integrate cytokine biology into basic CNS processes (development; inflammation; immunity; degeneration/repair), after which five chapters apply this body of knowledge to disease or pathology. The book closes with a look at the application of cytokine biology to the treatment of disease, a brand new area of research. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780849316227
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/31/2005
Series:	Computer Science and Data Analysis Series
Edition description:	REV
Pages:	382
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Richard M. Ransohoff, Etty N. Benveniste

Table of Contents

The CNS: Cells, Tissues and Reactions to Insult. Cytokines – Wherefrom and Whereto. Cytokine Receptors. Cytokines and Signaling. Inflammatory Complexities in the CNS: New Insights into the Effects of Intracellular Redox State and Viral Infection in Modulating the Biology of Oligodendrocytes and Their Precursor Cells. Cytokines and Development of the Nervous System. Cytokines and CNS Inflammation. Cytokines and Immune Regulation in the Nervous System. Cytokines and Neurodegeneration. Cytokine Expression and Signaling in Brain Tumors. Cytokines and Defense Pathology of the CNS. Cytokines and Multiple Sclerosis. Cytokines in Brain Trauma and Spinal Cord Injury. Cytokine-Based Therapeutics for Intrinsic CNS Disease Processes.

Editorial Reviews

4 Stars! from Doody

This book consists of 14 chapters divided into three areas. The first four chapters give the necessary general background on cytokines, signaling pathways they initiate, cellular responses to cytokines, and cellular composition of brain tissue. The next four chapters elaborate the effects of cytokines on different components of brain tissue. The last six chapters translate this basic knowledge into the problems of individual pathophysiological conditions, namely infections, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer disease and other dementia, malignancies, AIDS, and trauma. The purpose was is to summarize a vast body of data generated by several different disciplines and to present it to specialists of diverse backgrounds. The need for such a review was dictated by the rapid growth of molecular studies of cytokines and their receptors, availability of these molecules in substantial amounts for experimentation, and their use for clinical treatments. The book is intended for a broad audience of students, trainees, and specialists involved in neuroscience. Due to the extensive background in the first chapters, the book is in a sense self-sufficient, and does not require preliminary reading beyond basic physiology and molecular biology. The book is illustrated by well-organized black-and-white schemes and relevant and informative microphotographs. Half-tone illustrations are rather poorly reproduced. The structure of the book is outlined in the preface but not reflected in the table of contents. The book has a well-compiled index, but is wanting for a list of abbreviations and a glossary. This is a timely, well-written, and carefully edited book. It demonstrates that the majority of signalingmolecules discovered in diverse cellular systems are consistently found to play important roles in the control of the most complex tissue, the brain.

Alexander Kolchinsky

Reviewer: Alexander Kolchinsky, PhD (University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)
Description: This book consists of 14 chapters divided into three areas. The first four chapters give the necessary general background on cytokines, signaling pathways they initiate, cellular responses to cytokines, and cellular composition of brain tissue. The next four chapters elaborate the effects of cytokines on different components of brain tissue. The last six chapters translate this basic knowledge into the problems of individual pathophysiological conditions, namely infections, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer disease and other dementia, malignancies, AIDS, and trauma.
Purpose: The purpose was is to summarize a vast body of data generated by several different disciplines and to present it to specialists of diverse backgrounds. The need for such a review was dictated by the rapid growth of molecular studies of cytokines and their receptors, availability of these molecules in substantial amounts for experimentation, and their use for clinical treatments.
Audience: The book is intended for a broad audience of students, trainees, and specialists involved in neuroscience. Due to the extensive background in the first chapters, the book is in a sense self-sufficient, and does not require preliminary reading beyond basic physiology and molecular biology.
Features: The book is illustrated by well-organized black-and-white schemes and relevant and informative microphotographs. Half-tone illustrations are rather poorly reproduced. The structure of the book is outlined in the preface but not reflected in the table of contents. The book has a well-compiled index, but is wanting for a list of abbreviations and a glossary.
Assessment: This is a timely, well-written, and carefully edited book. It demonstrates that the majority of signaling molecules discovered in diverse cellular systems are consistently found to play important roles in the control of the most complex tissue, the brain.

Doody's Review Service