Texture of the Nervous System of Man and the Vertebrates: Volume I

by Santiago R.y Cajal, P. Pasik (Translator), Pedro Pasik (Editor), T. Pasik (Translator), Tauba Pasik (Editor)

Overview

Most scientists agree that the 21st century will be the "Century of Biology". The revolution that started a few decades ago with the extraordinary develop­ ment of molecular biology, has provided the basis for the understanding of the mechanisms that govern life through the regulation of cell function and cell-to­ cell interactions. Neuroscience will surely be one of the biological disciplines that will profit the most from this revolution. Neuroscience comprises the study of the brain, and the more difficult relationship of brain and behavior. It is indeed a very broad field of investigation that, from molecular biology and genetics, passing through systems physiology, functional mapping of the brain, and even human behavior, has as the ultimate goal the understanding of how the brain works. The importance of this aim is immense, since it is the only scientific approach to understanding ourselves. Today, owing to the great progress made in neuroscientific research, there is a real hope that highly complex processes such as sensory perception, ICTlg­ term memory, learning and others will soon be comprehended in their entirety.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783709164358
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	12/06/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	37 MB
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Table of Contents

I General concept of the nervous system.—Structural plan of the neural centers in the animal series.- II Review of research methods and resulting discoveries.- III Components of the nervous tissue.—The nerve cell—its size and general morphology.- IV Morphology of nerve cells (Continuation).—Mode of termination of dendritic and axonal processes.—Intercellular connections.- V Physiologic inferences from the morphology and connectivity of neurons.—Conductive role of all parts of the neuron.—Refutation to Golgi’s theory on the nutritional role of dendritic processes.—Theory of dynamic polarization.—Theory of axipetal polarization.—[Avalanche of conduction.—]The laws of economy of space, time and matter that rule. cell morphology, and the course and origin of axons.- VI Structure of the nerve cell.—Cell membrane.—Protoplasm.—Structure of the axon and dendrites.—Nucleus Physiologic inferences based on the cell structure.—Significance of the spongioplasm and Nissl bodies.—Transverse and longitudinal conduction in cell processes.—Considerations about the unit of sensation.—Schematics on the dynamics of the nerve cell.- VII Continuation of the physiologic interpretation of neuronal structure.—Structural variations correlated with various functional states.—Morphologic variations of neurons.—Changes by pathologic influences.—Significance of chromatolysis.—[Changes in the neurofibrillar reticule according to temperature variations and other conditions].- VIII Neuroglia.—Morphology of the neuroglial cell (Deiters cell).—Neuroglial type of the white matter.—Neuroglial type of the gray matter.—Epithelial neuroglial cell.—Structure of neuroglia.—General considerations regarding the functional significance of neuroglial cells.- IX Nerve fibers.—Peripheral myelinated nerve fiber (shape, volume, structure, etc.).—Central myelinated nerve fiber.—Fibers of Remak.—Grouping of nerve fibers to form nerves, etc.- X Neural centers.—White and gray matter Spinal cord.—Its external and internal configuration.—Territories or systems of the white matter (pyramidal tract, fascicle of Flechsig or dorsal spinocerebellar tract, dorsal horn bundle, intermediate bundle, system of the intermediate nucleus, commissural bundle, fascicles of the dorsal funiculus, etc.).- XI Structure of the white matter of the spinal cord.—Nerve fibers, [unmyelinated fibers,] neuroglial cells and axon collaterals.—Varieties of collaterals according to the gray zones where they terminate.—Synthesis of the distribution of collaterals.—Terminal nerve fibers.—Displaced fascicles of the white matter.- XII Structure of the gray matter.—General characteristics and classification of spinal neurons.—Motoneurons.—Motor cells or neurons of the ventral roots.—Motor cells of dorsal roots.—Ventral roots.—Axon terminals in striated musclés.- XIII Commissural and funicular cells.—Ventral and dorsal commissural cells.—Homolateral funicular cells.—Bifunicular cells.—Bilateral or hecateromeric funicular cells.- XIV Distribution of funicular cells in various regions of the gray matter.—Ventral horn (motor nucleus, commissural nucleus, nucleus of the lateral funiculus, intermediate and central gray matter).—Dorsal horn (column of Clarke, medial basal nucleus, head and lateral basal portion of the dorsal horn, substantia gelatinosa, intermediate nucleus).—Short axon neurons.- XV Sensory neurons, i.e. neurons with somata outside the spinal cord sending axons to the cord.—Spinal ganglia.—Structure and morphology of their cells in higher vertebrates.—Ordinary type, cell varieties, pericellular arborizations. Spinal ganglion cells in lower vertebrates.- XVI Endings of peripheral processes of spinal ganglion cells.—Intraepidermic free terminations (cornea, skin, mucous membranes and hairs).—Specialized endings: spindles of Kühne, Golgi tendon organs, Ruffini corpuscles, Golgi- Mazzoni corpuscles, corpuscles of Merkel, Meissner, Krause, Pacini and Timofejew.—Sensory endings in the heart and arteries.- XVII Central processes of sensory neurons.—Historical notes.—Bifurcation of dorsal roots.—Long and short radicular fibers.—Arrangement of ascending and descending branches.—Intrinsic fibers of the dorsal funiculus.- XVIII Neuroglia of the gray matter of the spinal cord.—Ependymal cells, and cells of short and long processes.—Distribution of these elements in different territories of the gray matter.—Blood vessels and neuroglial covering of the cord.- XIX Physiologic inferences based on a new structural concept of the spinal cord.—Reception of stimuli by sensory axon terminals.—Conjectures about the functioning of each termination type.—Hypothesis on the functions of the ganglion cell body.—Arrival of the imulse to the dorsal root and spinal cord.—Interpretation of the march of the excitation in terminal and collateral branches of radicular fibers.—[Direct propagation of impulses to motor cells.] Reflex movements.—Simple reflexes, unilateral and bilateral, circumscribed and diffuse.—Coordinated and cerebral reflexes.—Central sensory pathways.—Voluntary movements.- XX Comparative histology of the spinal cord.—Amphioxus.—Myxine and Petromyzon.—Amphibians.—Reptiles.—Birds.—Overview of the spinal cord in vertebrates.- XXI Histogenesis of the spinal cord and spinal ganglia.—Germinal cells.—Neuroblasts and spongioblasts.—Growth and development of nerve cells (growth cone, primitive neural arborization, formation of dendrites, development of collaterals, etc.).—Ganglioblasts.—Developmental laws governing neurons.—Growth and development of the ependyma and neuroglia.—[Development of spinal ganglia.—Formation of nerves; theories and hypotheses.—] Hypotheses regarding the causes of growth and transformation of neurons and neuroglial cells.- Appendix I: Table of equivalent figure numbers.- Appendix II: Taxonomy glossary.- References.

Editorial Reviews

4 Stars! from Doody

"... Über die vorliegende Übersetzung des ersten Bandes der ‚Textura del Sistema Nervioso del Hombre y de los Vertebrados‘ läßt sich nur Positives berichten. Das Buch ist sowohl Medizinhistorikern und Neurowissenschaftlern, insbesondere Neurophysiologen und Neuroanatomen, zu empfehlen. Es ist äußerst interessant wie Ramón y Cajal zu seiner Zeit Neuronen, Gliazellen und Nervenfasern u. a. beschrieb, analysierte, interpretierte und vor allem zeichnete. Die kritische und vergleichende Diskussion sowohl der Morphologie als auch der Physiologie ist auch noch aus heutiger Perspektive beispielhaft ... " Annals of Anatomy/Anatomischer Anzeiger, 1/2000

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