Jacobson S, Marcus EM. Neuroanatomy for the Neuroscientist. Second Ed. Springer; 2011; 428 pages; 260 illustrations; $209.00.
This book delivers on its title by being a comprehensive text on neuroanatomy from a basic science perspective, as compared to most texts, which approach the topic from a clinical point of view. The text is well organized, focused in the appropriate areas and is well populated with informative and suitable figures. While some pathology of the CNS is covered in the book, it is more geared towards graduate students in neuroscience or medical students. Given the depth of coverage and the focus of the text on anatomy, physiology, and connectivity, it is an effective tool for teaching neuroanatomy, especially to an academic or research audience.
The book is well organized into four sections that complement each other well and are less powerful when treated separately. Part I, titled “Essential Organization of the Central Nervous System,” describes both the structure and function of the CNS a micro and macroscopic scale. Part II covers the different systems controlled by the CNS, such as motor, somatosensory, and visual systems. Part III is titled “The Non-Nervous Elements” and elucidates in detail the support systems and pathologies of the CNS with accompanying case histories. While there is a Part IV titled “Atlas,” it is far from thorough and shouldn’t be considered equivalent to the other defined Parts of the book. Do not be misled, though: the book contains a comprehensive set of figures which detail neuroanatomy, but these figures are spread throughout the text and placed in the appropriate areas.
The book begins with several chapters describing the “Essential Organization of the Central Nervous System,” and it accomplishes this objective. The chapter titled “Neurocytology,” along with other chapters in this Part I, does an excellent job of describing the cellular anatomy and physiology, focusing not only on neurons but on supporting and glial cells as well. The development of the CNS is also well described in “Neuroembryology and Congenital Malformations.” Additionally, the book also deals with abnormal development, discussing malformation from both genetic and environmental etiologies, as well as outcomes. The remaining chapters in Part I focus on describing the structure of the functional areas of the CNS, including spinal cord, brain stem, cranial nerves, thalamus, and hypothalamus.
The next section of the book “The Systems” is effective in communicating how the CNS controls the different systems of the body. There is a significant focus on describing the CNS control of motor systems of the body with three chapters dedicated to this effort. The chapter on the visual systems was very impressive, with excellent descriptions of both structure and function, and the selection of excellent and appropriate figures made this complicated system much easier to comprehend than in other texts the reviewer has happened upon. A complaint concerning the final chapter of Part II, “Higher Cortical Functions,” is a lacking of quality figures; they are too few in number and not overly illuminating. Fortunately this is an exception to the rule as the majority of chapters do not share this issue.
Part III of the book “The Non-Nervous Elements” is more of a catch-all section of the text with chapters covering a wide range of topics. The chapter titled “Meninges, Ventricular System and Vascular System” is succinct but effectively covers the material, namely by utilizing excellent figures. The remainder of this section focuses on pathology of the CNS with a chapter dedicated to Vascular Diseases, a chapter dedicated to case studies, and, finally, a very entertaining chapter titled “Movies on the Brain”. “Movies on the Brain” is a catalog of neuroscience, neurology, and neurosurgery-related themes which have appeared in cinema, and while not overly educational itself, it does provide a resource where one can get a glimpse of the public perception on these areas of science and medicine. Part IV, “Atlas,” consists of one chapter which contains only twenty-two gross anatomy figures of the cerebrum. The entire textbook serves as an atlas of the CNS system and serves excellently in this capacity. This “Atlas” would be better described as an appendix of gross anatomical figures.
This book provides a useful neuroanatomy resource that not only effectively describes the structure of the CNS but also its function from a basic science point of view. As mentioned earlier, the figures are plentiful, of high quality, and appropriately selected. The references and suggested reading are both current and comprehensive, which is especially helpful concerning the complex topics covered in this text. This text is not specifically geared for an AJNR audience, with less emphasis placed on the clinical or pathological. Even though many of the figures are gross sections or anatomical drawings, the AJNR audience will find the text helpful because the authors took special attention to include many radiological images, with many of these being MRI studies. The book is recommended to anyone looking to understand the complex CNS, its structure, physiology, and its systems on a fundamental level, though not through the lens of pathology.
