Neurobiology of Spinal Cord Injury

Distinguished researchers review the latest scientific understanding of spinal cord injury (SCI), focusing on the mechanisms causing paralysis after spinal cord trauma, the molecular determinants of neural regeneration, and methods for improving damaged function. The authors examine the role of intracellular Ca2+ in neuronal death, the possibility of spinal learning, growth-promoting molecules for regenerating neurons, and the biochemistry and cell biology of microtubules. Among the treatment possibilities discussed are cell transplantation strategies beyond the use of fetal spinal cord tissue, remyelination in spinal cord demyelination models, high steroid therapy immediately after SCI, and the mixed use of anti- and proinflammatories. Comprehensive and highly promising, Neurobiology of Spinal Cord Injury summarizes and integrates the great progress that has been made in understanding and combating the paralysis that follows spinal cord injury.

"...the book by Kalb and Strittmatter, who are in the School of Medicine at Yale University, is particularly timely....The detail in this monograph is excellent and would be of particular value to neurobiologists engaged in the fields of neurotrauma, neural regeneration or neural ischemia work. In addition, the book represents an excellent introduction to the field for prospective postdoctoral fellows or graduate students....highly recommend this book for acquisition by libraries and clinical neuroscience departments as a reference....I thoroughly enjoyed this book and with a few ...I would highly recommend it.-Le Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques

"...a smart compilation of reviews of the different fields of research that might, if taken together, evoke new associations in the minds of the reader for the problem of restoring function of the injured spinal cord....This book is worth reading both by clinicians coping with spinal cord injury as by researchers, who wish to be informed of contemporary neurobiological research on this subject....The text is concise, but clear. This booklet is highly recommended."-Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery

"For the first time, the authors Kalb and Strittmatter have provided the scientific community with a state-of-the-art, up-to-date collection of synopses from some of the most prominent spinal cord injury research laboratories in the world. This book provides the reader with a detailed comprehensive look into new knowledge, from growth cones to neural networks. ... The chapters are detailed and complete. There is no other reference book that I know of that comes close to providing the depth and scope of information on spinal cord injury that this book covers. ... Drs. Kalb and Strittmatter are to be congratulated on bringing such an impressive array of spinal cord injury specialists under one cover. ... As a collection of topical reviews, it will be valuable addition to the library of anyone involved in spinal cord injury research. I hope it will provide the stepping stone to future editions and perhaps eventually become a cornerstone textbook on the subject." - Jouranl Neurosurgery

"The book by Kalb & Strittmatter is thus timely. Various neuroscientists, most of them well known in SCI research, provide reviews of the neurobiological mechanisms of the tissue lesion, its spontaneous repair efforts, the central pattern generator for locomotion in the spinal cord, the complexity of signals promoting or inhibiting growth of CNS axons and experimental repair strategies. The 11 chapters are informative and well written... The book should be on the shelf of researchers working in the field, but also on that of clinicians taking care of SCI patients." - Acta Neurologica Belgica

"Individual chapters were contributed by experts in the field, many of whom carried out seminal work on the topics they describe. This ensures that the text is on the whole informed, up to date, and written with authority, ...This would be a good introduction for those who are unfamiliar with mechanisms of neuronal injury and repair, and also provides a good update on recent developments in experimental strategies for spinal repair." - Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry