I have developed "tennis elbow" from lugging this book around the past four weeks, but it is worth the pain, the effort, and the aspirin. It is also worth the (relatively speaking) bargain price. Including appendixes, this book contains 894 pages of text. The entire panorama of the neural sciences is surveyed and examined, and it is comprehensive in its scope, from genomes to social behaviors. The editors explicitly state that the book is designed as "an introductory text for students of biology, behavior, and medicine," but it is hard to imagine any audience, interested in any fragment of neuroscience at any level of sophistication, that would not enjoy this book. The editors have done a masterful job of weaving together the biologic, the behavioral, and the clinical sciences into a single tapestry in which everyone from the molecular biologist to the practicing psychiatrist can find and appreciate his or

Principles of Neural Science

Noise — random disturbances of signals — poses a fundamental problem for information processing and affects all aspects of nervous-system function. However, the nature, amount and impact of noise in the nervous system have only recently been addressed in a quantitative manner. Experimental and computational methods have shown that multiple noise sources contribute to cellular and behavioural trial-to-trial variability. We review the sources of noise in the nervous system, from the molecular to the behavioural level, and show how noise contributes to trial-to-trial variability. We highlight how noise affects neuronal networks and the principles the nervous system applies to counter detrimental effects of noise, and briefly discuss noise's potential benefits.

/pdf/noise-in-the-nervous-system-22k10mncs2.pdf

Noise in the nervous system.

Electrical stimulation of excitable tissue: design of efficacious and safe protocols.

An analyte monitor includes a sensor, a sensor control unit, and a display unit. The sensor has, for example, a substrate, a recessed channel formed in the substrate, and conductive material disposed in the recessed channel to form a working electrode. The sensor control unit typically has a housing adapted for placement on skin and is adapted to receive a portion of an electrochemical sensor. The sensor control unit also includes two or more conductive contacts disposed on the housing and configured for coupling to two or more contact pads on the sensor. A transmitter is disposed in the housing and coupled to the plurality of conductive contacts for transmitting data obtained using the sensor. The display unit has a receiver for receiving data transmitted by the transmitter of the sensor control unit and a display coupled to the receiver for displaying an indication of a level of an analyte. The analyte monitor may also be part of a drug delivery system to alter the level of the analyte based on the data obtained using the sensor.

Analyte Monitoring Device And Methods Of Use

http://www.cognitiveneuroscience.it/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Rossini_CliNeuro_2015.pdf

Non-invasive electrical and magnetic stimulation of the brain, spinal cord, roots and peripheral nerves: Basic principles and procedures for routine clinical and research application: An updated report from an I.F.C.N. Committee

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a widely used, noninvasive method for stimulating nervous tissue, yet its mechanisms of effect are poorly understood. Here we report new methods for studying the influence of TMS on single neurons in the brain of alert non-human primates. We designed a TMS coil that focuses its effect near the tip of a recording electrode and recording electronics that enable direct acquisition of neuronal signals at the site of peak stimulus strength minimally perturbed by stimulation artifact in awake monkeys (Macaca mulatta). We recorded action potentials within ∼1 ms after 0.4-ms TMS pulses and observed changes in activity that differed significantly for active stimulation as compared with sham stimulation. This methodology is compatible with standard equipment in primate laboratories, allowing easy implementation. Application of these tools will facilitate the refinement of next generation TMS devices, experiments and treatment protocols.

/pdf/simultaneous-transcranial-magnetic-stimulation-and-single-4oqp4371nx.pdf

Simultaneous transcranial magnetic stimulation and single-neuron recording in alert non-human primates

Mechanisms and models of spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

An electrode array for use in medical stimulation includes one or more electrodes along an array body and one or more leads. Each of the electrodes has one or more conductive sections and each of the conductive sections has an outer surface which is substantially exposed from the array body for coupling to tissue. At least one of the electrodes has at least one of: adjacent pairs of the conductive sections separated by an insulating section; the conductive section having at least one portion which is spaced in from other portions of the conductive section and which substantially extends all the way around or all along a length of the conductive section; at least one substantially non-planar end; and a substantially planar shape with a substantially non-linear outer edge (Figure 2). Each of the electrodes has at least one of the leads coupled to each of the conductive sections of the electrode.

An electrode array for use in medical stimulation and methods thereof

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) and lesioning are two surgical techniques used in the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) in patients whose symptoms are not well controlled by drugs, or who experience dyskinesias as a side effect of medications. Although these treatments have been widely practiced, the mechanisms behind DBS and lesioning are still not well understood. The subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus pars interna (GPi) are two common targets for both DBS and lesioning. Previous studies have indicated that DBS not only affects local cells within the target, but also passing axons within neighboring regions. Using a computational model of the basal ganglia-thalamic network, we studied the relative contributions of activation and silencing of local cells (LCs) and fibers of passage (FOPs) to changes in the accuracy of information transmission through the thalamus (thalamic fidelity), which is correlated with the effectiveness of DBS. Activation of both LCs and FOPs during STN and GPi-DBS were beneficial to the outcome of stimulation. During STN and GPi lesioning, effects of silencing LCs and FOPs were different between the two types of lesioning. For STN lesioning, silencing GPi FOPs mainly contributed to its effectiveness, while silencing only STN LCs did not improve thalamic fidelity. In contrast, silencing both GPi LCs and GPe FOPs during GPi lesioning contributed to improvements in thalamic fidelity. Thus, two distinct mechanisms produced comparable improvements in thalamic function: driving the output of the basal ganglia to produce tonic inhibition and silencing the output of the basal ganglia to produce tonic disinhibition. These results show the importance of considering effects of activating or silencing fibers passing close to the nucleus when deciding upon a target location for DBS or lesioning.

Relative contributions of local cell and passing fiber activation and silencing to changes in thalamic fidelity during deep brain stimulation and lesioning: a computational modeling study

Asymmetric charge-balanced stimulation waveforms are defined and used for CNS stimulation with selective stimulation of either neuronal cell bodies or axon fibers of passage in favor of the other. A pre-pulse is followed by an opposite polarity stimulation pulse, with the pre-pulse being relatively low-amplitude and long-duration as compared to the stimulation pulse. The pre-pulse and stimulation pulse are charge-balanced to prevent tissue damage and electrode corrosion. The polarity of the pre-pulse and stimulation pulse control the selectivity of stimulation with respect to neuronal cell bodies versus axon fibers of passage. The waveform used in the stimulation method optionally includes a zero-amplitude phase having a duration of 0 to 500 microseconds.

Warren M. Grill

Papers

Simultaneous transcranial magnetic stimulation and single-neuron recording in alert non-human primates

Mechanisms and models of spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of neuropathic pain.

An electrode array for use in medical stimulation and methods thereof

Relative contributions of local cell and passing fiber activation and silencing to changes in thalamic fidelity during deep brain stimulation and lesioning: a computational modeling study

Waveforms for selective stimulation of central nervous system neurons