An Introduction to Brain and Behavior

Offering a unique introduction to behavioral neuroscience, An Introduction to Brain and Behavior centers each chapter around an important, relevant question. Examples then follow, taking a clinical perspective, to clearly show you what happens when common neronal processes malfunction.

Bryan Kolb received his Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University in 1973.  He conducted postdoctoral work at the University of Western Ontario and the Montreal Neurological Institute.  He moved to the University of Lethbridge in 1976, where he is currently Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and holds a Board of Governor's Chair in Neuroscience. His current research examines how neurons of the cerebral cortex change in response to various factors, including hormones, experience, psychoactive drugs, neurotrophins, and injury, and how these changes are related to behavior in the normal and diseased brain.  Kolb is a Killam Fellow (Canada Council) and a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society, and the Royal Society of Canada.  He is a recipient of the Hebb Prize from CPA and from the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science (CSBBCS) and is a former president of the CSBBCS.  He is one of the theme leaders in the Canadian Stroke Network.  He is an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia and University of Calgary, as well as the Hotchkiss Brain Institute in Calgary, Alberta. Ian Q. Whishaw received his Ph.D. from the University of Western Ontario in 1971. He moved to the University of Lethbridge in 1970, where he is currently Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience and holds a Board of Governor's Chair in Neuroscience. He has held visiting appointments at the University of Texas, University of Michigan, Cambridge University, and the Unviersity of Strasbourg, France.  He is a Fellow of Clair Hall, Cambridge, and a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute in Calgary, Alberta.  His current research examines how the precise details of movements are influenced by injury or disease to the motor systems of rodents and humans and how animals and humans move through real and mental space.  Whishaw is a Fellow of the Canadian Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association, and the Royal Society of Canada, and the Institute for Scientific Information includes him in its list of most cited neuroscientists.  He is a recipient of a Bronze medal from the Canadian Humane Society, a recipient of the Ingrid Speaker medal for research, and President of NeuroDetective, Inc. G. Campbell Teskey received his Ph.D. from Western University in 1990 and then conducted postdoctoral work at McMaster University. He relocated to the University of Calgary in 1992, where he is a professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute.  His current research program examines the development, organization and plasticity of the motor cortex as well as how seizures alter brain function. Teskey has won numerous teaching awards, developed new courses and co-created the Bachelors of Science in Neuroscience program at his home University. He currently serves as Education Director for the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Chairs the Education Committee of Campus Alberta Neuroscience. His hobbies include hiking, biking, kayaking, and skiing.

1. What Are the Origins of Brain and Behavior?

2. How Does the Nervous System Function?

3. What Are the Functional Units of the Nervous System?

4. How Do Neurons Use Electrical Signals to Transmit Information?

5. How Do Neurons Use Electrochemical Signals to Communicate and Adapt?

6. How Do Drugs and Hormones Influence the Brain and Behavior?

7. How Do We Study the Brain’s Structure and Functions?

8. How Does the Nervous System Develop and Adapt?

9. How Do We Sense, Perceive, and See the World?

10. How Do We Hear, Speak, and Make Music?

11. How Does the Nervous System Respond to Stimulation and Produce Movement?

12. What Causes Emotional and Motivated Behavior?

13. Why Do We Sleep and Dream?

14. How Do We Learn and Remember?

15. How Does the Brain Think?

16. What Happens When the Brain Misbehaves?