Brain, Vol. 122, No. 10, 1999-2000,
October 1999
© 1999 Oxford University Press
Book Reviews |
PLASTICITY IN NERVE CELL FUNCTION.
.
Lund University Hospital, Lund, Sweden
In clinical practice it is becoming more and more evident that neuronal plasticity plays an important role not only in normal function, but also during pathophysiological events and regeneration in the CNS. Therefore, a book entitled Plasticity in Nerve Cell Function is of potential interest to many clinicians in the field.
The book is a monograph written by one of the authorities in the field, Professor Platon Kostyuk, Director of the A. A. Bogomoletz Institute of Physiology, Kiev, Ukraine. It should be noted, however, that the emphasis of this book is on the basic, i.e. molecular and cellular mechanisms of neuronal plasticity with very little discussion concerning the link between neuronal plasticity and clinical practice.
For many, the term neuronal plasticity has become more or less synonymous with synaptic plasticity, i.e. changes in the efficacy of synaptic transmission in the CNS. The aim of this book, however, is to discuss neuronal plasticity in its broad sense, including all aspects of neuronal function. As pointed out by the author in the preface of the book, this is a book about the role of calcium in plasticity in nerve cell function. Thus, the bulk of the text is about calcium channels and intracellular calcium stores. Since voltage-operated calcium channels (VOCC) and different intracellular calcium stores are the main players in this book, a short introductory chapter explaining the nomenclature of the intracellular calcium buffering systems and calcium channels, their molecular composition, known blockers, etc. would have been of benefit.
The book is clearly organized and comprises six chapters. The text is extensively referenced. Each chapter has several accompanying figures which are taken from the original works by the author and/or his colleagues. However, an editorial flaw is that some figures are not properly labelled.
The first chapter entitled `Formation of neuronal networks' is about the development of the CNS involving several steps, starting with the movement of the precursor cells to the places of their final destination and ending with programmed cell death. The importance of different VOCC and intracellular calcium stores in these different developmental steps are discussed. The chapter is well structured and easy to follow but not very much is described about the factors/activity that control the VOCC and the intracellular calcium stores. Although the influence of different neurotrophic factors [such as NGF (neuronal growth factor)] are mentioned, the importance of early spontaneous and later sensory evoked activity of the neurons at later stages of development is very superficially described.
The developmental changes in the spectrum and density of different ion channels in neurons is discussed in Chapter 2 entitled `Developmental plasticity of neuronal elements'. Again the bias is on calcium and 13 pages are devoted to calcium channels and only four to other types of voltage- and ligand-gated channels. Very little is mentioned about the expression patterns of different GABA and glutamate receptors. This is a pity since the majority of the synaptic connections in the brain do contain these ligand-gated channels.
Chapter 3 is entitled `Synaptic plasticity' and is about synaptic plasticity in the adult CNS. The emphasis is on two forms of long-lasting activity-dependent alterations in synaptic efficacy: long-term depression and potentiation (LTD and LTP, respectively). The pivotal role of calcium in the induction of both LTP and LTD is discussed. At present, there is no general consensus regarding the expression mechanism(s) of either LTP or LTD. In the literature there is a vast number of reports supporting either a presynaptic or a post-synaptic alteration (or both). However, the part discussing the possible expression mechanism(s) of LTP and LTD is brief and the `hot issue' of recruitment/derecruitment of `silent synapses' with LTP and LTD is barely discussed at all. Without presenting any convincing evidence, the author takes a firm standpoint stating that the expression of both LTD and LTP is presynaptically located.
The fourth chapter is about age-dependent changes in the calcium homeostasis in neurons. In the first part of this chapter the author presents data showing a disturbed neuronal calcium metabolism with age. In the second part the functional consequences of this disturbed calcium metabolism during metabolic perturbations, such as ischaemia, are discussed. Furthermore, the role of calcium in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and ALS (amylotrophic lateral scerosis), is discussed.
The role of calcium in glial elements and the interaction between glia and neurons is discussed in Chapter 5. Like the neurons, the glial cells also possess several voltage- and ligand-dependent ion channels which undergo developmental changes. The importance of intracellular and intercellular calcium waves is discussed.
How can the increase/decrease in the intracellular calcium concentration, a `signal' of very generalized character, trigger spatially and/or temporally different specialized cellular processes involved in neuronal plasticity? This question is addressed in the short but good final chapter. The author gives a clear and well structured presentation of different intracellular mechanisms to accomplish this triggering of different specialized processes.
Considering the title, this book is far from comprehensive, and there is a strong bias towards discussing the role of calcium in neuronal plasticity. Furthermore, there are few hints in the book about the clinical implications of this neuronal plasticity. However, the reader looking for an introduction into neuronal plasticity, or more specifically, the role of calcium in neuronal plasticity will find this book a good starting point into the field.
Notes
By P. Kostyuk. 1998. Pp. 135. Oxford: Claredon Press. Price £55.00. ISBN 0-19-852428-8.
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