Form and Function in the Brain and Spinal Cord: Perspectives of a Neurologist

This book reflects Stephen Waxman's three decades of research on the form and functions of the brain and spinal cord. Building on his experience as a neuroscientist studying model systems as primitive as eels and as a neurologist studying humans, Waxman discusses a wide variety of topics, including the design principles that optimize neural function; molecular and cellular substrates of behavior; the role of glial cells in the brain; the molecular basis for pain; plasticity in the brain and spinal cord; strategies for promoting functional recovery in disorders such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, and stroke; and prospects for rebuilding the brain and spinal cord. The pieces provide example after example of the elegance of design of the nervous system, of the intricate interplay between structure and function in health and disease, and of the rich borderland between neuroscience and neurology.