Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This is the first book about both normal development of the nervous system and how early exposure to alcohol and nicotine interferes with this development. The developing nervous system is highly dynamic and vulnerable to genetic and epigenetic factors that can be additive or synergistic. Disruption of normal brain development leads to an array of developmental disorders. One of the most common of these is mental retardation, the prime cause of which is prenatal exposure to alcohol. As chapters in this book show, alcohol has direct effects on the developing neural system and it affects genetic regulation. Another common neurotoxin is nicotine, and it is discussed in this book for three reasons: (1) the number of adolescents who smoke cigarettes is rising in some populations; (2) prenatal exposure to nicotine affects neurotransmitter systems that are critical for normal brain development and cognition; and (3) prenatal exposure to nicotine is often accompanied by prenatal exposure to alcohol.LThe mature brain is the culmination of an orderly sequence of the basic ontogenetic processes--cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, and death. Neural stem cells and progenitors proliferate in discrete sites; then, young neurons migrate long distances to their residences where they form neural networks. During this sequence many immature cells die, presumably eliminating unsuitable or non-competitive cells. Each process is regulated by genetic and environmental factors. When this regulation goes awry, a dysmorphic and dysfunctional brain results. Though this can be tragic in clinical settings, in experimental contexts it provides keen insight into normal brain development.LThe book is divided into three parts. The first describes neural ontogeny in the normal brain. The second and third deal with the consequences of early exposure to alcohol and nicotine. Though there are similarities in the effects of these two toxins, there are also intriguing differences. The commonalities reflect the plasticity and resilience of the developing brain while the differences point to the targeted effects of the two toxins. Exploring these effects brings a richer appreciation of brain development. The book will be of interest to neuroscientists, developmental biologists, teratologists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, neurologists, neuropsychologists, and to their students and trainees.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• List of Abbreviations (p. ix)
• Contributors (p. xiii)
• 1 Models of Neurotoxicity Provide Unique Insight into Normal Development (p. 3)
• Part I Normal Development
• 2 Cell Proliferation (p. 9)
• 3 Neuronal Migration (p. 27)
• 4 Neuronal Differentiation: From Axons to Synapses (p. 45)
• 5 Cell Death (p. 73)
• 6 Intracellular Pathways of Neuronal Death (p. 91)
• 7 Developmental Disorders and Evolutionary Expectations: Mechanisms of Resilience (p. 104)
• Part II Ethanol-Affected Development
• 8 Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Human Development (p. 123)
• 9 Influence of Alcohol on the Structure of the Developing Human Brain (p. 143)
• 10 Prenatal Ethanol Exposure and Fetal Programming: Implications for Endocrine and Immune Development and Long-Term Health (p. 153)
• 11 Early Exposure to Ethanol Affects the Proliferation of Neuronal Precursors (p. 182)
• 12 Effects of Ethanol on the Regulation of Cell Cycle in Neural Stem Cells (p. 199)
• 13 Mechanisms of Ethanol-Induced Alterations in Neuronal Migration (p. 216)
• 14 Effects of Ethanol on Mechanisms Regulating Neuronal Process Outgrowth (p. 230)
• 15 Neuronal Survival Is Compromised by Ethanol: Extracellular Mediators (p. 245)
• 16 Intracellular Events in Ethanol-Induced Neuronal Death (p. 267)
• 17 Neural Crest and Developmental Exposure to Ethanol (p. 279)
• 18 Glial Targets of Developmental Exposure to Ethanol (p. 295)
• Part III Nicotine-Affected Development
• 19 Tobacco use During Pregnancy: Epidemiology and Effects on Offspring (p. 315)
• 20 Prenatal Nicotine Exposure and Animal Behavior (p. 329)
• 21 Neuronal Receptors for Nicotine: Functional Diversity and Developmental Changes (p. 341)
• 22 Neural Precursors as Preferential Targets for Drug Abuse: Long Term Consequences and Latent Susceptibility to Central Nervous System Disorders (p. 363)
• 23 Nicotinic Receptor Regulation of Developing Catecholamine Systems (p. 381)
• Index (p. 399)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

"Miller has gathered an impressive array of scientists who provide the reader with an up-to-date perspective on the most detailed aspects of mammalian brain development, and an opportunity to place in a translational context the molecular and cellular nature of neurodevelopmental disruption by two major neurotoxins, ethanol and nicotine. Chapters are accompanied by formidable primary data figures and summary diagrams, simplifying the connections that can be made between chapters. Miller's own research career reflects the sound marriage of basic and translational neuroscience, and this volume epitomizes this philosophy. Those clinicians and basic neuroscientists who are interested in gaining a modern understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that underlie altered neural development due to nicotine or ethanol exposure will find this a very worthwhile reference text." -Pat Levitt Director, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development Professor of Pharmacology Vanderbilt University