Handbook of Basal Ganglia Structure and Function

There are no other volumes which cover the broad range of structural and functional aspects of the basal ganglia, with an outlook towards clinical relevance. The Basal Ganglia comprise a group of forebrain nuclei that are interconnected with the cerebral cortex, thalamus and brainstem. Basal ganglia circuits are involved in various functions including motor control and learning, sensorimotor integration, reward and cognition. The importance of the basal ganglia for normal brain function and behavior is emphasized by the numerous and diverse disorders associated with basal ganglia dysfunction. These include Parkinson's disease, Tourette's syndrome, Huntington's disease, cerebral palsy, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, dystonia, psychostimulant addiction and others. The proposed Handbook will provide a comprehensive overview of the structural and functional organization of the basal ganglia, with special emphasis on the progress achieved over the last 10-15 years. The chapters will be written by leading researchers who have made major contributions in this field, many of which have already written authoritative reviews on their subjects. The book is organized in 5 parts. The first, introductory part describes the general anatomical organization and provides a review of the evolution of the basal ganglia, from cell type to circuits. The second, third and fourth parts give detailed accounts of specific recent advances in anatomy, cellular/molecular, and cell-physiological mechanisms, respectively. The fifth part describes recent advances in our understanding of behavioral and clinical aspects of basal ganglia function and dysfunction. This work: synthesizes widely dispersed information on the behavioral neurobiology of the basal ganglia, including advances in the understanding of anatomy, cell-molecular and cell-physiological mechanisms, and behavioral/clinical aspects of function and dysfunction; features a truly international cast of the preeminent researchers in the field; and, fully explores the clinically relevant impact of the basal ganglia on various psychiatric and neurological diseases.

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