Cerebral Signal Transduction: From First to Fourth Messengers

Product Description Since the pioneering discovery of cyclic AMP four decades ago, a multitude of signaling pathways have been uncovered in which an extracellular signal (first messenger) impacts the cell surface, thereby triggering a cascade that ultimately acts on the cell nucleus. In each cascade the first messenger gives rise to the appearance of a second messenger such as cyclic AMP, cyclic GMP, or diacylglycerol, which in turn triggers a third messenger, a fourth messenger, and so forth. Many advances in elucidating such pathways have been made, including efforts to link messenger molecules to brain processes operative in health or disease. However, the latter type of information, relating signaling pathways to brain function, is scattered across a variety of publication media, which makes it difficult to integrate the multiple roles of different signaling cascades into our understanding of brain function in health and disease. The primary aim of Cerebral Signal Transduction: From First to Fourth Messengers, therefore, is to offer a comprehensive picture of the recent advances made in the signaling field as it relates to neuronal and cere­ bral function. The current state of progress provides an exciting opportunity for such a comprehensive focus because molecular tools have become available to selectively remove, reduce, or enhance spe­ cific components in the signaling pathways, e. g. , by interfering with the genes encoding key proteins. In addition, the increased awareness of crosstalk between different signaling cascades has revealed many possibilities for changes in gene expression underlying long-term changes in brain function. Review "The editor states the goal is to offer a comprehensive picture of recent advances made in the signaling field as it relates to neuronal and cerebral function. . . The editor and the contributors accomplished the goal remarkably well. The chapters are arranged so that clinical and laboratory investigations on depression, bipolar disorder, and drug dependence follow more basic research on memory, apoptosis, and degeneration. Each chapter is extremely well referenced, making this a valuable reference source. Multiple black-and-white illustrations, drawings, and microphotographs enhance the text quality...This new volume in the series Contemporary Neuroscience may serve as an excellent overview of current knowledge in the field of cerebral signaling and transduction."-Doody's Health Science Book Review Journal "The quality of each of the chapters of this book is outstanding and will provide valuable information for a variety of neuroscientists."- Journal of Molecular Neuroscience From the Back Cover In Cerebral Signal Transduction: From First to Fourth Messengers, Maarten E.A. Reith and a team of leading experts comprehensively review and synthesize the most recent advances in our understanding of the role of cerebral signaling in neuronal and cerebral function. The authors emphasize the functional role of the various signaling pathways in memory, apoptosis and degeneration, depression, and drug dependence in both health and diseases states. The signaling pathways discussed include cAMP/PKA, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, DAG/PKG, and neurotrophic factor signaling cascades. By taking full advantage of the newfound ability to selectively remove, reduce, or enhance specific components of the signaling pathways, the investigators writing here illuminate the varied signaling cascades, their crosstalk, and the many possibilities for changes in gene expression underlying long-term changes in brain function. Cutting-edge and comprehensive, Cerebral Signal Transduction: From First to Fourth Messengers advances our understanding of the mechanistic underpinnings of complex behavioral processes and clinically relevant brain diseases. A major contribution to the development of the novel pharmacotherapeutics targeting downstream events in the cascade of second, t