Plasticity in the Central Nervous System: Learning and Memory

Catalyzed by the development of new neurobiological and behavioral techniques as well as new conceptual and theoretical approaches to the study of the relationship between brain and behavior, research exploring brain functions enabling learning and memory has greatly accelerated in recent years. The chapters in this book reflect current theoretical approaches to the study of brain and memory and provide new insights concerning the cellular bases of memory and the differential involvement of brain systems in different forms of memory. By presenting up-to-date summaries of research investigating brain mechanisms underlying learning and memory, these chapters help to place current findings in appropriate theoretical context, and further stimulate research inquiry attempting to understand how the brain makes memory. Divided into three sections, coverage in this volume includes: * a discussion of pharmacological approaches to the study of brain and memory; * a review of experiments using a variety of techniques, including brain lesions, brain grafting, and electrophysiological recording to investigate the role of different brain regions in learning and memory; and * an examination of molecular analyses of events associated with memory formation.