The Neuron: Cell and Molecular Biology

The Neuron: Cell and Molecular Biology, 2nd edition

Levitan IB, Kaczmarek LK

New York: Oxford University Press; 1997. 543 pp with index

ISBN 0-19-510021-2 (paper)

ISBN 0-19-510020-4 (cloth)

This book was first published in 1990, when it was received with a great deal of enthusiasm. The preface to the current edition is dated the summer of 1996 and the copyright date is 1997. In the field of neuroscience, where knowledge is growing exponentially over time, it is important to keep this perspective when reviewing a book.

The book covers all the major fields of learning within the neurosciences, and in a short text that can only afford space for the essentials, it succeeds beautifully, providing knowledge that both experts and novices can benefit from. The sequence by which the information is presented to the reader is logical and incremental. Thus, the reader learns first the electrical properties of neurons. This section allows the authors to present current knowledge regarding ion channels, membrane currents and action potentials. The book then moves onto the basics of cell-to-cell communication, describing synaptic function and how neurotransmitters interact with receptors, leading to both direct and indirect transfer of cellular information. The important concept of neuromodulation is well described in Chapter 12. With this knowledge base, the reader is then invited to tackle the rivetting section on Behaviour and Plasticity, where the building blocks reviewed earlier are used to describe how neurons grow and differentiate, how axons find their targets, and how learning occurs and memories form.

The format of each chapter is ideally suited for easy, enjoyable and almost effortless learning. A section starts with an introductory statement that positions the chapters in that section within the context of what has preceded and what will follow. Each chapter is then introduced, sometimes with a specific example, and other times with a general contextual description. Each chapter is nicely laid out, with many figures that not only illustrate concepts presented in the text, but rapidly become a strong distinguishing feature of this textbook’s high quality. The text emphasizes the important core messages of the chapter, and these are finally driven home by a summary section. At the end of the book, a bibliography section gives a list of recommended readings for each chapter, allowing the reader to return to source materials or to push knowledge of a particular area more deeply.

This is a wonderful book. It is alternately a textbook to be read cover-to-cover by graduate and undergraduate students of neuroscience; a reference text for those who are more advanced but need to refresh their memories about certain aspects of neuroscience; and a source of easily digestible new knowledge for those who need to learn about the advances in this field. Perhaps a reflection of how fast the field is moving, the book already appears ready for another edition! Programmed cell death, for instance, now a very competitive field of research work and new knowledge in the neurosciences, occupies slightly more than 1 page of text. Thus, an opportunity is sadly missed to inform the reader about not only the enormous influence this new field of understanding is having on current neuroscientific thinking, but also its relevance to neurodegenerative disease. There is, however, an excellent section on the neurotrophins, their actions, and the receptors they work through.

The book has some interesting peculiarities. I could not find anything at all about the authors from the book itself. They are, of course, known to us through their own extensive publications and eminent work, particularly on calcium and potassium channels. It would have been helpful to have an “About the Authors” section. This is especially true since the authors are experts in neurophysiology, and the general neurophysiological bias of the book is explained in the preface to the first edition, where the authors state that the text reflects their own training, research interests and biases. Perhaps for the next edition, which I would hope is imminent, the authors could invite the collaboration of a molecular neuroscientist who can round out the book with her or his own biases and interests.

The copy editing is no better or worse in this book than in any text that depends on the inadequate skills of computerized text management. For example, in the preface to the first edition, “form” is found where “from” was needed, and since that text dates from October 1990, it is a surprise that the mistake was not caught in this edition (or was it left there intentionally for authenticity purposes?). Another minor error is found on page 343, line 7, where the word “to” is missing. Finally, despite my admiration for the judicious and appropriate use of figures in this text, not all of the figures are helpful. For example, Figure 16-3 is spread over 2 pages, yet does not add much to the text. In addition, the word TOP is introduced in the legend to that figure, but does not show up in the figure itself and is defined in the text only 2 pages later.

In summary, this is a superbly written and well-illustrated text covering all the major aspects of neuroscientific knowledge, albeit with an understandable emphasis on neurophysiology. Regardless of the state of knowledge or the specific expertise of the reader, every neuroscientist should keep a copy handy.