Principles of Neural Science is widely considered the definitive, gold-standard textbook in neuroscience and neurobiology. First authored by Nobel Laureate Eric R. Kandel alongside leading neuroscientists, the book provides a comprehensive, molecular-to-behavioral framework for understanding how the brain and nervous system function.
Core Themes & Key Coverage
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Cellular & Molecular Neurobiology: Detailed exploration of neuron structure, ion channels, resting membrane potentials, action potentials, and synaptic transmission.
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Sensory Perception: How the nervous system encodes, processes, and interprets environmental inputs, covering vision, auditory systems, touch, pain, taste, and smell.
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Motor Control & Movement: Mechanisms governing voluntary movement, reflex arcs, spinal circuits, the basal ganglia, cerebellum, and motor cortex.
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Cognitive Neuroscience & High-Level Function: Brain systems underlying perception, attention, language, emotion, decision-making, and executive control.
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Learning, Memory, & Plasticity: Molecular and cellular mechanisms of neural plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP), synaptic changes, and memory storage.
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Neural Development & Disease: Neural tube formation, axon guidance, synaptogenesis, and the neuropathology of conditions like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia, and epilepsy.
