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Given the very limited capacity of regeneration in the brain, protecting neurons that are on the brink of death is a major challenge for basic and clinical neuroscience, with implications for a broad spectrum of acute and chronic neurological and psychiatric diseases. This book brings together leading experts from neurobiology, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neuroimmunology and clinical neuroscience to highlight the most recent milestones in this rapidly evolving field. The book will serve as a reference for both basic neuroscientists and clinicians interested in an authoritative update on the molecular and cellular biology of neuroprotection and its promises for new therapeutic strategies.
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Christian Alzheimer Molecular and Cellular Biology of Neuroprotection in the CNS Molecular and Cellular Biology of Neuroprotection in the CNS Molecular and Cellular Biology of Neuroprotection in the CNS Edited by Christian Alzheimer Institute of Physiology University of Kiel Kiel, Germany Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data CIP applied for but not received at time of publication. Molecular and Cellular Biology of Neuroprotection in the CNS Edited by Christian Alzheimer ISBN 0-306-47414-X AEMB volume number: 513 ©2002 Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers and Landes Bioscience Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013 http://www.wkap.nl Landes Bioscience 810 S. Church Street, Georgetown, TX 78626 http://www.landesbioscience.com; http://www.eurekah.com Landes tracking number: 1-58706-104-X 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21 A C.I.P. record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America. PREFACE The adult mammalian brain is not well equipped for self-repair. Although neuronal loss reinstalls parts of the molecular machinery that is essential for neuronal development, other factors and processes actively impede regeneration of the damaged brain. Many therapeutic efforts thus aim to promote or inhibit these endogenous pathways. In addition, more radical approaches appear on the horizon, such as replacement of lost neurons with grafted tissue. Neurorepair, however, is not the topic of this book. Here, we go one step back in the sequence of events that lead eventually to the demise of a neuronal population. This book focuses on the precious period when an initial damaging event evolves into a vast loss of neurons. The time frame might be hours to days in acute brain injury or months to years in chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Given the limited capacity of regeneration, protecting neurons that are on the brink of death is a major challenge for basic and clinical neuroscience, with implications for a broad spectrum of neurological and psychiatric diseases, ranging from stroke and brain trauma to Parkinson´s and Alzheimer´s disease. In recent years, rapid progress has been made in unravelling many of the cellular and molecular players in neuronal death and survival. However, as the field develops into more and more specialized branches, the notion of common pathogenic pathways of neuronal loss might get buried under the wealth of novel data. Thus it seems a timely endeavor to provide an overview on the most exciting recent developments in neuroprotective signaling and experimental neuroprotection. This book brings together experts from cellular and molecular neur