Bookshelf
Preface
Whether judged in molecular, cellular, systemic, behavioral, or cognitive terms, the human nervous system is a stupendous piece of biological machinery. Given its accomplishments—all the artifacts of human culture, for instance—there is good reason for wanting to understand how the brain and the rest of the nervous system works. The debilitating and costly effects of neurological and psychiatric disease add a further sense of urgency to this quest. The aim of this book is to highlight the intellectual challenges and excitement—as well as the uncertainties—of what many see as the last great frontier of biological science. The information presented should serve as a starting point for undergraduates, medical students, graduate students in the neurosciences, and others who want to understand how the human nervous system operates. Like any other great challenge, neuroscience should be, and is, full of debate, dissension, and considerable fun. All these ingredients have gone into the construction of this book; we hope they will be conveyed in equal measure to readers at all levels.
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