Cell Death and Diseases of the Nervous System

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxi

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2. Definitions—Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Apoptosis Versus Necrosis

      • Peter G. H. Clarke

      Pages 3-28

   3. Asynchronous Death as a Characteristic Feature of Apoptosis

      • Randall N. Pittman, Conrad A. Messam, Jason C. Mills

      Pages 29-43

   4. Free Radicals and Mitochondria Dysfunction in Excitotoxicity and Neurodegenerative Disease

      • James A. Dykens

      Pages 45-68

   5. Calcium and Cell Death

      • Marcel Leist, Pierluigi Nicotera

      Pages 69-90

   6. Proteases

      • Anthony Rosen, Livia Casciola-Rosen

      Pages 91-101

   7. The Cell Cycle and Neuronal Cell Death

      • Robert S. Freeman

      Pages 103-119

3. Animal Models

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 121-121

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   2. Neuronal Cell Death in C. elegans

      • Dewey Royal, Monica Driscoll

      Pages 123-144

   3. Cellular Interactions that Regulate Programmed Cell Death in the Developing Vertebrate Nervous System

      • Michael J. Burek, Ronald W. Oppenheim

      Pages 145-179

   4. Axotomy-Induced Motor Neuron Death

      • Jeffrey L. Elliott, William D. Snider

      Pages 181-196

   5. Excitotoxic Cell Death

      • John W. Olney, Masahiko J. Ishimaru

      Pages 197-219

   6. Neurotoxins and Neuronal Death

      • Elizabeth O’Hearn, Mark E. Molliver

      Pages 221-245

4. Nerve Cell Death in Human Diseases

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 247-247

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   2. DNA Repair and Neurological Diseases

      • Brian G. Fuller, Vilhelm Bohr

      Pages 249-274

   3. Cell Death and the Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathies

      • Kevin M. Flanigan, Rajiv R. Ratan

      Pages 275-293

   4. Viral Encephalitis

      • J. Marie Hardwick, David N. Irani, Diane E. Griffin

      Pages 295-323

   5. Mechanisms of Cell Injury in Prion Diseases

      • David R. Borchelt

      Pages 325-342

   6. Blood Flow, Energy Failure, and Vulnerability to Stroke

      • James J. Vornov

      Pages 343-359

It is an honor to be asked to write a foreword for this timely book, which assembles contributions from authorities working in the area of pathological nervous system cell death, and has been expertly edited by Vassilis Koliatsos and Rajiv Ratan. That the inap­ propriate demise of brain or spinal cord cells is at the root of many neurological diseases has been appreciated since the early days of microscopic neuropathology, but it has only been in the last decade or so that pervasive therapeutic nihilism has lifted. In the journey of medical progress, we have reached the shores of a marvelous new land. Three major scientific thrusts in particular have converged to produce the press of ideas covered here. First, burgeoning information about the fundamental nature of central nervous system cell--(;ell signaling, both the fast signaling mediated by conventional neu­ rotransmitters and the usually slower signaling mediated by neuromodulators and growth factors. A central theme emerging in recent years has been the duality of these signaling mechanisms, which serve the nervous system in health, but which can become the very mediators of neuronal or glial cell degeneration in disease settings. Glutamate-mediated neurotransmission and excitotoxicity have been the defining and best-studied examples, but many other examples have also emerged. Second, delineation of the molecular under­ pinnings of programmed cell death, and an appreciation of their awesome power.

• Alzheimer
• Nervous System
• Parkinson
• alzheimer's disease
• brain
• neurons
• schizophrenia
• trauma

" Overall, this is a sound book with well-recognized authors whose expertise spans the field of neurodegenerative disorders. It is a valuable resource for graduate students and for those who have previously limited their focus to a particular neurological disorder...Collectively, the authors paint a sufficiently lucid picture of the sequence of events involved in neurodegenerative processes...Cell Death and Diseases of the Nervous System must be considered to be one of the top books in the rapidly growing literature on neurodegenerative disorders."-Trends in Neuros cience

"This book undertakes an extensive review of the fast moving field of cell death, an area of neurobiology that is currently the center of intensive investigation both at the level of mechanisms and disease pathogenesis....It is thus a book that will interest both neuroscientists and neurologists alike...will be a useful addition to the libraries of neurologists with an interest in neurodegenerative disorders, although other neurological conditions associated with neuronal death are touched on (for example, viral encephalitis, HIV-1 infection, trauma, and schizophrenia) which may widen its appeal.-Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry

"...appeal to a wide spectrum of readers in both the laboratory and clinical setting....The first part on cellular and molecular mechanisms provides a wonderful overview of this difficult matter, ...In part II, a selection of animal models is reviewed, while part III extensively discusses cell death in acute and chronic conditions....This volume broadly covers the field of neuronal death, and the large number of (mostly) up to date references make this a very useful textbook. Being written and edited by authorities in the field, it can be strongly recommended."-Acta Neurologica Belgica

• The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA

  Vassilis E. Koliatsos

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA

  Rajiv R. Ratan

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