Encyclopedia of Neuroscience.

Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, vols 1 and 2. The term "neuroscience" encompasses the study of the brain and brain behavior by scientists from a multitude of disciplines (including basic scientists, Clinicians, engineers, and computer specialists). This encyclopedia, the first for the field, is intended to reflect progress, in the words of the preface," ... in the most intriguing of all scientific questions, how does the brain, the organ of mind, understand itself." The text has more than 700 entries by some 600 experts, plus excellent appendixes containing illustrations of gross anatomy of the nervous system and concise biographies of important researchers. The encyclopedia provides a quick reference for neuroscientists and a broadened understanding of how the nervous system works for generalists. An especially important goal is cross-disciplinary communication about the complexities involved in explication of the mysteries of the mind and its pathology.

The following examples illustrate the usefulness of these volumes to the physical therapy practitioner, the scientist, or the student. Entries of two to six pages on neuroimaging, neurometrics, brain electrical activity mapping (BEAM), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the radioactive deoxyglucose method of mapping cerebral functional activity, and other new techniques for studying brain function describe the procedures, how resulting data are analyzed, and the specificity and sensitivity of the methods. Understanding of muscle-tone abnormalities can be enhanced by reading short articles on muscle receptors, sense, and tone. The latter amuses as well as educates; in Landau's picturesque language, the resistance of normal resting muscle is " ... that of a raw beef filet." The problem of reliably evaluating muscle tone is summarized succinctly: "The three major difficulties with the definition of increased muscle tone are the words increased, muscle, and tone." There are excellent articles on nociception and pain, including theory (arthritic joint model, gait control), measurement (signal detection theory), and treatment (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, intracerebral stimulation, and surgical and pharmacological management). Finally, the entries on numerous clinical entities, such as Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, hemiplegia, and Reye's syndrome, may be useful primarily to the entry-level student because of their brevity. The prospective graduate student in the neurosciences will find the author list helpful in identifying research programs and professors of special interest.

Despite their high cost, these volumes would be an excellent investment for use in clinical settings or in university libraries. Lamentably, an encyclopedia is, of necessity, out of date upon publication. Although all articles provide cross-referencing and a bibliography, most references are from the early 1980s and will not lead directly to the current literature unless they are used in conjunction with citation index-searching techniques.