........ published in NEWSLETTER # 47
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........ published in NEWSLETTER # 47
ADVANCES IN METABOLIC MAPPING TECHNIQUES FOR BRAIN IMAGING OF BEHAVIORAL AND LEARNING FUNCTIONS
by Professor F. Gonzalez_Lima, University of Texas, Austin/TX (U.S.A.)
This book (NATO ASI SERIES D68) is the first one on the topic of brain imaging of behavioral and learning functions using the new metabolic mapping techniques. The book contains technical considerations of practical utility for established and new scientists in the burgeoning field of neuroimaging of behavioral functions, that makes it the first handbook in this field. Also included are the findings and recommendations obtained by recent applications of these mapping techniques to behavioral neuroscience.
In recent years, revolutionary technical advances have permitted neuroscientists to map the functioning of the brain in exquisite detail. Of interest are the new techniques that visually display cell energy metabolism
which is coupled to functional brain activity in behaving animals. This the first book dealing with the application of 2_deoxyglycose and related metabolic mapping techniques for brain imaging of behavioral and learning functions. Quantitative autoradiographic techniques based on the use of exogenous markers include radiolabeled glucose and its analogs, especially 2_deoxyglucose and fluorodeoxyglucose. Other mapping techniques are based on the histochemical staining of endogeneous metabolic markers such as cytochrome oxidase, as well as immunohistochemistry for expression of c_fos genes. In spite of the great potential capabilities of the new imaging techniques, only a few neuroscientists are using this approach to study brain functions related to behavior. There is a need to review state_of_the_ art applications of these methods in behavioral neuroscience, and to formulate recommendations for future research in this area. This book is intended to fulfill these needs by bringing together leading neuroscientists using metabolic mapping approaches to elucidate brain mechanisms of behavior. Discussions are not limited to one animal species; they cover a broad range of vertebrates with unique behavioral capabilities.
Reference books: A19, A200, D68