The Neuron: Cell and Molecular Biology

by Irwin B. Levitan, Leonard K. Kaczmarek

The third edition of The Neuron provides a comprehensive first course in the cell and molecular biology of nerve cells. The first part of the book covers the properties of the many ion channels that shape the way a single neuron generates varied patterns of electrical activity, as well as the
molecular mechanisms that convert electrical activity into the secretion of neurotransmitter hormones at synaptic junctions between neurons. The second part covers the biochemical pathways that are linked to the action of neurotransmitters and can alter the cellular properties of neurons or sensory
cells that transduce information from the outside world into the electrical code used by neurons. The final section reviews our rapidly expanding knowledge of the molecular factors that induce an undifferentiated cell to become a neuron, and then guide it to form appropriate synaptic connections
with its partners. This section also focuses on the role of ongoing experience and activity in shaping these connections, and finishes with an account of mechanisms thought to underlie the phenomena of learning and memory.

Genres: Science, Neuroscience, Biology, Textbooks, Nonfiction

632 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I told myself and someone else that I wasn't going to put this one on my list. But I was convinced by another someone else to add it, so here it is. This is a truly geeky book. Being an unabashed geek, I loved it. If you've ever wondered about the excrutiating details of fundamental processes and mechanics underlying neuronal activity, you'll love it too. You've got your relevant chemistry, physics, and molecular and cell biology -- even a bit of genetics -- all laid out for you in one tidy paperback. Before I discovered this book, I had to carry around three or four textbooks at a time. Talk about awkward.

Convenience aside, the effort (admittedly substantial) of getting through the details presented is worth it. If you don't find learning about the basis of how our brains work awe inspiring (or the fact that some very clever people in laboratories were able to sort it out amazing), then you're just not paying attention.

Perfect for: lonely nights, subway rides, looking like a doomed grad student.

[Sarah Feng · Rating 4 out of 5]

whoever chose this cover for the goodreads is foul & diabolical

the yale borrowdirect one has an old red leather cover with simple white print on the cover & spine

the writing is funny - unassuming, backpropagative, and somehow very unclear while attempting to be clear at the same time - the illustrations are the golden meat of this book - crisp, patterned, and parallel, minimalist, systematic - solid / blinking / patterned - excellent visual prose - the rest of it read, well, like a textbook. so i really shouldn't be mad at it. but i was so enchanted by the illustrations i had to come give it a rating on goodreads. nice work to whoever was designing that - absolute simplistic beauty

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Straight forward text and an enjoyable read. The diagrams were incredibly helpful at illustrating mechanisms, while the inclusion of experimental history provided context and an appreciation for basic science.

[Bet Ellisium · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit outdated, but a resourceful study.