Molecular Aspects of Development and Aging of the Nervous System

The rapidly expanding fields of molecular and cellular neurobiology are the newest frontiers of neuroscience. This book represents the continuing efforts of the Institute of Developmental Neuroscience and Aging (IDNA) to disseminate the most recent advances on the developing and aging nervous system at the molecular and cellular levels. A group of neuroscientists presented and discussed their findings at a recent IDNA conference held in Athens, Greece, June 15-18, 1988. This meeting was sponsored by the National Hellenic Research Foundation, FIDIA, the Ministry of Research and Technology, the Tourism Organization of Greece, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH. The Directors of the IDNA are grateful to the local committee, Drs. Eleni Fleischer, Costas Sekeris, Michael Alexis, Theony Valcana, and Elias Kouvelas, for their efforts in organizing this meeting and for their successful integration of science and culture for the participants. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the information presented at this conference, including in-depth discussions of each topic by the participants. The chapters are grouped into five general categories which correspond to the subject areas covered during the meeting. These include: Gene and Phenotypic Expression, Growth Factors and Oncogenes, Cytoskeletal and Extracellular Molecules, Neurotransmitters and Hormones, and Molecular Aspects of Aging and Alzheimers Disease. The section on Gene and Phenotypic Expression includes discussions of transient gene expression in the nervous system (Herschman), developmental regulation of myelin-associated genes (Gordon et al.