Genomics, Proteomics, And The Nervous System

Advances in Neurobiology Series Editor Abel Lajtha For further volumes: www.springer.com/series/8787 James D. Clelland Editor Genomics, Proteomics, and the Nervous System Editor James D. Clelland, Ph.D. Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research 140 Old Orangeburg Road Orangeburg, NY 10962 and New York University School of Medicine Langone Medical Center 550 First Avenue New York, NY 10016 USA [email protected] ISSN 2190-5215 e-ISSN 2190-5223 ISBN 978-1-4419-7196-8 e-ISBN 978-1-4419-7197-5 DOI 10.1007/978-1-4419-7197-5 Springer New York Dordrecht Heidelberg London Library of Congress Control Number: 2010938371 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Preface Mammalian central and peripheral nervous systems are highly complex at the structural, genetic and molecular levels, composed of multiple cell types and tissue structures. Thousands of genes, regulated at the genomic level via sequence variation or epigenetic regulation, are expressed at the RNA level and translated into proteins required to develop and maintain these cells and tissues, and along with small regulatory RNA molecules, lipids, and small molecule neurotransmitters, these gene products constitute the physical substrate for learning, memory, emotion, sensory perception, and consciousness itself. The potential for malfunction of this large number of complex biological systems is great, leading to the many behavioral and cognitive deficits observed in human psychiatric and neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia, autism and Alzheimer’s disease. This Volume of Advances of Neurobiology discusses research designed to increase our understanding of the nervous system and its structures and activities, through the utilization of genomic and proteomic technologies, addressing facets including development and epigenetic regulation, functions in learning and memory, and changes associated with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Specifically, the development of high-throughput genomic and proteomic analysis technologies, including microarray and high-throughput DNA sequencing technology, as well as integrated protein separation and mass spectrometry analysis systems, have created the opp