Alan J. McComas's Books

Aranzio's Seahorse and the Search for Memory and Consciousness

The Search for Memory and Consciousness

By: Alan J. McComas

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Aranzio's Seahorse and the Search for Memory and Consciousness

The Search for Memory and Consciousness

By: Alan J. McComas

In the final volume of his historical neuroscience trilogy, prize-winning author Alan J. McComas recounts the research that led to recognition of the hippocampus, a structure deep within the brain, as being primarily responsible for memory. This intriguing and exciting account includes observations on patients with memory loss as well as insights from ingenious laboratory experiments. Using several arguments in support, McComas suggests that it is the electrical impulse activity of neurons in the hippocampus that creates consciousness and that the latter is, in fact, the ever-changing sequence of short-term memories. He show us how a deeper knowledge of the hippocampus can help us develop a fuller understanding of Alzheimer's disease and other disorders of memory and behaviour, including 'long COVID. Lavishly illustrated, Aranzio's Seahorse will be of value not only to neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers but to all those interested in the workings of the brain and in the history of its exploration.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

353

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0192694367

ISBN 13

9780192694362

Neuromuscular Function and Disorders

By: Alan J. McComas

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Neuromuscular Function and Disorders

By: Alan J. McComas

Neuromuscular Function and Disorders focuses on the various processes underlying disordered neuromuscular function. Topics covered include the nature of membrane defects in myotonia and familial periodic paralysis; the disorder of neuromuscular transmission responsible for myasthenia gravis and the various pseudo-myasthenic syndromes; and the disorders of Schwann cell function which cause demyelination. This book is comprised of 28 chapters divided into two sections and begins with a discussion on the normal anatomy and physiology of peripheral nerve and muscle. Included in the first section are descriptions of the ionic mechanisms responsible for the resting and action potentials of nerve and muscle; the sequential stages in neuromuscular transmission; excitation-contraction coupling; the sliding filament mechanism of myofibrillar shortening; and the morphological and functional properties of motor units. The neurophysiology of exercise and muscle fatigue is also considered, along with the nature of the trophic influences exerted by the motoneuron and muscle fiber upon each other. The second half of the book deals entirely with various diseases of peripheral nerve and muscle, together with diagnostic procedures and therapeutic management. A consistent theme in this section is the recognition of neural abnormalities in diseases hitherto considered as primary disorders of the muscle fiber. This monograph should be of value to neurologists, medical students, research workers, and students and research scientists in physiology, zoology, pharmacology, kinesiology, and physical education.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

375

Publisher

Butterworth-Heinemann

Published Date

ISBN 10

1483163067

ISBN 13

9781483163062

Skeletal Muscle

Form and Function

By: Brian R. MacIntosh,Phillip F. Gardiner,Alan J. McComas

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Skeletal Muscle

Form and Function

By: Brian R. MacIntosh,Phillip F. Gardiner,Alan J. McComas

Provides readers with a detailed understanding of the different facets of muscle physiology. Examines motoneuron and muscle structure and function. It is intended for those need to know about skeletal muscle--from undergraduate and graduate students gaining advanced knowledge in kinesiology to physiotherapists, physiatrists, and other professionals whose work demands understanding of muscle form and function.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

436

Publisher

Human Kinetics

Published Date

ISBN 10

0736045171

ISBN 13

9780736045179

Galvani's Spark

The Story of the Nerve Impulse

By: Alan McComas

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Galvani's Spark

The Story of the Nerve Impulse

By: Alan McComas

Galvani's Spark chronicles the gradual understanding of the nerve impulse which is the basis of all thoughts, sensations and actions. The story begins with Luigi Galvani's chance observation of a spark from a friction machine causing a frog's leg to twitch from across the room. The accurate recording and the understanding of the properties of the nerve fiber membrane that makes the impulse possible became the objectives of neuroscientists for over 200 years. The author, Alan J. McComas finely interweaves the stories, the challenges, and the controversies of the most prominent figures in neuroscience, from the histological descriptions of nerve cells by Cajal to the discovery of a three-dimensional structure of ion channels in cell membranes by MacKinnon. Along the way he details the first recordings of the impulse with a cathode ray oscilloscope by Gasser and Erlanger, Adrian's discovery that stimulus intensity is coded by the frequency of nerve impulses, and Hodgkin and Huxley's brilliant voltage clamp experiments, amongst many others. The recognition by Galvani that muscles and nerves have an electrical component triggered the field of neurophysiology and in turn has produced some of the greatest discoveries in neuroscience. 16 investigators of the nerve impulse went on to win or share Nobel prizes and this book not only emphasizes their work but also traces their brilliant careers. For anyone interested in the nervous system and the history of neuroscience, Galvani's Spark: The Story of the Nerve Impulse is essential reading.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

416

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199395950

ISBN 13

9780199395958

Sherrington's Loom

An Introduction to the Science of Consciousness

By: Alan J. McComas

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Sherrington's Loom

An Introduction to the Science of Consciousness

By: Alan J. McComas

How does the brain create consciousness? How is it that we have a sense of self; a self that can identify thousands of people, places, objects, words, and musical melodies? While the ultimate challenge--that of transforming electrical impulses in nerve cells into sensations, thoughts, and actions--remains a mystery, there is a great deal that is now known about the way the brain functions. Further, that knowledge is increasing through the use of ever more powerful experimental methods. Sherrington's Loom brings the key information together by blending crucial historical discoveries with more recent findings in the laboratory and neurological clinic. This book is a "must-have" for anyone interested in the history of medicine and science, and who is eager for insights as to how the conscious brain may work.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

305

Published Date

ISBN 10

0190936541

ISBN 13

9780190936549

Galvani's Spark

The Story of the Nerve Impulse

By: Alan McComas

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Galvani's Spark

The Story of the Nerve Impulse

By: Alan McComas

Galvani's Spark describes the gradual understanding of the nerve impulse. Proceeding from a chance observation on a frog leg, to studies on squid giant axons and bacteria, this book concludes with the increasing realization that ion channells are responsible for a variety of clinical disorders.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

416

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199751757

ISBN 13

9780199751754

Book's by Alan J. McComas

Aranzio's Seahorse and the Search for Memory and Consciousness

Aranzio's Seahorse and the Search for Memory and Consciousness

Neuromuscular Function and Disorders

Neuromuscular Function and Disorders

Skeletal Muscle

Skeletal Muscle

Galvani's Spark

Galvani's Spark

Sherrington's Loom

Sherrington's Loom

Galvani's Spark

Galvani's Spark

Username

Password

Username

Password

Password again

Birthday

Email