Foundations of Neuroscience
Casey Henley, Michigan State University
Copyright Year:
ISBN 13: 9781626101098
Publisher: Michigan State University
Language: English
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Reviews
This book is great for the more biological topics in neuroscience. It does particularly well describing neurons and action potentials. However, it does not cover many of the behavioral neuroscience topics (such as sleep, learning, neurological... read more
This book is great for the more biological topics in neuroscience. It does particularly well describing neurons and action potentials. However, it does not cover many of the behavioral neuroscience topics (such as sleep, learning, neurological disorders, and most psychological disorders).
Almost all information is accurate. I noticed a small error in the taste chapter.
Most of the information seems up to date. It does a great job providing a relevant overview of the biological aspects of neuroscience.
The text is at the appropriate reading level for a college course.
The text is consistent. The format is the same from one chapter to the next which makes it easy to follow.
This text is very modular. It is easy to assign the specific chapters you want to use to cover a particular topic. This makes it particularly easy to supplement this text with additional sources.
The textbook is well-organized and easy to follow.
The interface is easy to use.
I have not noticed any grammatical errors.
The sex information is prefaced well by indicating that sex and gender exist on a continuum. However, the section could be strengthened by including more specific information about this in that chapter (and related chapters).
Overall, I think this is a good foundational neuroscience text, especially for the biological portions of neuroscience. I think it is particularly great for learning about neurons and neuronal communication. I have used this in my Brain and Behavior course (which is basically an Introduction to Neuroscience course). I do supplement this textbook with other readings, particularly for topics that are more behavioral in nature.
The textbook allowed for people unfamiliar with terms a chance to familiarize themselves in an easily comprehensible way. read more
The textbook allowed for people unfamiliar with terms a chance to familiarize themselves in an easily comprehensible way.
I found no bias in the textbook.
The text would need minimal updates, mainly in the last section on behavior as new research becomes available. Otherwise, the foundations are straightforward and well communicated.
There is some jargon in the text, but you are familiar with the terms early on and are introduced to new terms in an accessible way.
I believe the text is consistent in its terminology and framework.
The modularity of the textbook was one of my favorite features. There was a running tracker at the bottom that kept you aware of how many more pages were in the chapter. You could also click straight from the table of contents to whatever section you wanted to delve into deeper or needed to review. There were also a lovely use of images and examples throughout.
Being someone relatively new to neuroscience, I could follow the text clearly and was able to learn a great deal.
The interface was great. There were "test yourself"chances at the end of the chapters that helped you ensure your understanding before moving on. There were also video lectures available at the end of the chapters if that way of learning worked better for you.
There were no grammatical errors that I could find.
I enjoyed the cultural sensitivity in the text, but could have seen more examples from a variety of lenses in part 6 on behavior.
These textbook is meaty in terms of content, accessible in terms of information and examples, and enjoyable in terms of interface.
Congratulations to Dr. Henley for producing an accessible open text option for neuroscience. This is a commendable effort that will be useful to both instructors and students of neuroscience. The target audience for this resource is undergraduate... read more
Congratulations to Dr. Henley for producing an accessible open text option for neuroscience. This is a commendable effort that will be useful to both instructors and students of neuroscience. The target audience for this resource is undergraduate students new to neuroscience, and the original aim of the project was to provide a resource for students enrolled in the introductory neurobiology course at Michigan State. Thus, comprehensiveness is not the primary goal of this resource. The highly modular text instead focuses on select topics, most of which are commonly taught in introductory neuroscience courses. The most comprehensive topics are neuron structure, function, and communication. Following these sections, the level of comprehensiveness varies. For example, a module covering the cerebellar motor loop is notably missing in the motor systems portion. More significantly, there is little mention of several topics typically addressed in undergraduate neuroscience courses, such as an introduction to neural circuits, the auditory system, neural disorders, cortical layers, glia, and modern neural techniques. The introduction states that additional modules covering some of these topics will be uploaded, with a timeframe that started in 2021 and continued through 2022. However, none of the additional modules have been incorporated at the time of download (June 2022). At this point, the textbook could not serve as the sole resource for the typical introductory neuroscience course. However, there is much to use, and this open text is a good resource for a learner new to neuroscience concepts. When the additional modules outlined in the introduction are uploaded, I would be happy to revisit the comprehensiveness of the material.
The content is largely accurate with some exceptions. These inaccuracies are all easily corrected and can be addressed in subsequent editions – it is not unusual for a first edition of a textbook to contain errors.
Page 62, Figure/Animation 6.3 caption: Voltage-gated sodium channels begin to open before the membrane potential reaches threshold. What occurs at threshold is that at the magnitude of the sodium influx overcomes the magnitude of the potassium outflux.
Pages 63 and 405; Animation 6.6 Caption: There is a significant inaccuracy in the description of how the membrane potential returns to rest following the action potential. The sodium-potassium pump does not return the cell to the resting membrane potential. The return to the resting membrane potential from the afterhyperpolarization is mediated by the closing of voltage-gated potassium channels, along with the always-open leak potassium channels and sodium channels. The sodium-potassium pumps are continually active in a living neuron, including during the entire time that the action potential occurs. Low dose application of a sodium-potassium pump inhibitor such as ouabain does not acutely change afterhyperpolarization shape. A low dose of a voltage-gated potassium channel blocker such as TEA eliminates the undershoot/afterhyperpolarization.
Page 116: As the text is written is makes it suggest that there is only one type of synaptotagmin protein. Many different synaptotagmin proteins exist.
Page 117: No mention that vesicles are recycled.
Page 123: Some AMPA receptors are also permeable to calcium.
Pages 124, 425: NMDA receptors also require glycine to open, in addition to glutamate and postsynaptic depolarization. Typically, there is enough endogenous glycine in the extracellular fluid to allow NMDA receptors to open at glutamatergic-dominated synapses.
Page 125: Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are also found in the central nervous system, in addition to the peripheral nervous system; the “primarily located” description is not accurate. Acetylcholine is an important neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and binds to both ionotropic and metabotropic receptors to regulate neuron function, in regions including but not limited to the nucleus accumbens, the cortex, and the hippocampus.
Page 146: Diffusion is another process by which neurotransmitters clear from the cleft. For example, diffusion as a process is important for situations like glutamate synapse spillover. The importance of each of these processes depends on the type of synapse and the amount of neurotransmitter released.
Pages 148-149: Glutamate and GABA transporters on the plasma membrane require two Na+ ions per glutamate or GABA molecule. That the vesicular transporters also require energy is also not pictured. Similar minor inaccuracies/omissions in energy sources are present on Pages 101-107, 147, 150-151.
Page 199: The type of metabotropic receptor isn’t specified, leading to the impression that there is only one type of metabotropic glutamate receptor. This is also a missed opportunity to emphasize that the action of the neurotransmitter is determined by its receptor – in this case glutamate is inhibitory, in contrast to its usual role.
Page 247, Figure 23.8: The presented somatotopic map is inaccurate: the body regions mediated by the medial somatosensory cortex are missing.
Pages 290-305, 353, Chapter 27: The substantia nigra in the context of dopamine production and release in the caudate/putamen is the “substantia nigra pars compacta.” This distinction is important because it distinguishes this cell group from the substantia nigra pars reticulata, which is part of an important basal ganglia projection not pictured on Figures 27.6 and 27.10.
Pages 320-322: The text as written implies that the hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus are all unified regions, when the reality is that there are lots of functional and anatomical subdivisions and nuclei. This regionalization is especially pertinent to the discussion of the hypothalamus and amygdala.
The included content is highly relevant to the intended audience of undergraduates new to neuroscience. Every student of neuroscience needs the fundamentals of neuron structure and function. The other chapters provide a strong starting point for further exploration. Relevance is only somewhat diminished by the absence of some key components of modern neuroscience, such as circuit-level approaches, an enhanced appreciation for the role of glia and microglia, the tripartite nature of the chemical synapse, and the lack of any modern techniques (even the electrophysiology presented uses techniques from the 1950s and 60s). There are some missed opportunities to demonstrate relevance to behavioral and/or pathological outcomes. This would increase depth of knowledge for a new neuroscience learner. For instance, on Page 150 when dopamine transporters are discussed, it is not mentioned that these transporters are blocked by cocaine and that this mechanism is key for cocaine’s addictive properties (this topic is discussed in a later chapter). Other examples include not connecting rate-limiting steps to a relevant impact, such as L-DOPA therapy for Parkinson’s Disease bypassing the chokepoint of tyrosine hydroxylase (Pages 102-107), and not connecting the direct and indirect pathways directly to movement via activation of motor programs and inactivating competing motor programs (Page 303).
The author succeeded in producing clear text, animations, figures, and videos, suitable for the target audience of undergraduates new to neuroscience. Included terminology and jargon is properly contextualized and not overwhelming. Unlike most textbooks, a glossary is not included.
There are select, minor instances where clarity could be enhanced (listed below). These are all minor points, intended to help enhance clarity when the resource is next revised. Overall, the project achieved its goal of being clear and accessible.
Pages 26-27 – This section deals with a particularly challenging concept, changes in membrane potential. The author attempted to clarify this section by using the terms “decrease” and “increase.” The use of these terms is confusing. The terms “positive,” “negative, “hyperpolarization,” and “depolarization” are more accurate and clear. The labels on Figure 3.2 are confusing – the words “decrease in” and “increase in” should be replaced with “more positive” and “more negative.”
Page 62, Figure 6.3: The “overshoot” is called the “peak” and the “undershoot” is called the “afterhyperpolarization” in most neuroscience primary research articles that analyze action potential properties.
Page 71 – Since Ohm’s law is not yet introduced, the reference to resistance is not clear. One way to enhance clarity would be to define resistance.
Page 75 – Similarly, it is difficult to clearly discuss voltage clamp without Ohm’s Law.
Page 126 – It isn’t clear that the reversal potential will be dependent upon the permeability of synapse-localized receptors to specific (and sometimes multiple) ions.
Page 139 – As the text reads it omits that CREB is only one of many target molecules. To enhance clarity “one other” should be replaced with “another.”
Page 178 – The title “external brain anatomy” is confusing. To me, “external” means external to the body. Perhaps a clearer word would be “surface” instead of “external.”
Page 216 – “Striatal cortex” is not defined.
Page 254 – The tongue taste map figure makes it appear that specific areas are totally dedicated to distinct tastes, probably because of the use of strong dark borders. Clarity could be increased by removing the distinctive borders or using a fuzzy border. The text does a wonderful job of discussing taste bud distribution on the tongue.
Page 272 – Not clear from this text that muscle spindles are also important for other processes, including proprioception and/or providing information to the cerebellar motor loop.
Page 273 – It is not clear that the muscle spindle contains gamma muscle fibers.
Page 359 – The text omits that oxytocin is also made and released in the brain, especially important for its role in social behaviors like pair bonding. As the text currently reads, it implies that oxytocin is only localized to the pituitary and circulatory system.
Internal consistency is high across chapters, including modular organization and the use of terminology, figures, and animations. Content consistency decreases in the later chapters compared to the early chapters. For example, Chapter 35 (social bonding) and Chapter 36 (studying fear) are not as comprehensive as Chapters 3 and 4.
The author was successful in providing a modular text with appealing and contemporary visual aids. Individual chapters and specific illustrations and animations could be employed to emphasize relevant points. The text was divided into relatively brief paragraphs with ample use of headings.
In general, the organization/structure/flow of the textbook is orderly and logical. Parts I and II build from resting membrane potential and the action potential to neurotransmitter release. The organization becomes less consistent beginning at Chapter 15, perhaps as an inevitable consequence of the emphasis on modularity. Chapter 15 deals with epigenetics and does not logically flow, especially given that the chapter does not emphasize application to neuroscience or how epigenetics can alter neuron properties. A chapter on neuron circuits linking Parts II to Parts III - VI is notably absent. It is jarring that the text jumps directly to human brain neuroanatomy without first introducing circuits and jarring again how the text jumps from surface human brain anatomy to sensory systems without introducing internal anatomy. Please note that this textbook is a work in progress, and the flow of some of the later Parts suffers due to chapters not yet present. One example is the omission of chapters addressing the auditory, vestibular, and proprioceptive systems in Part IV, and the omission of a chapter regarding the cerebellar motor loop in Part V. Each chapter of Part VI, the behavioral section, is well organized and highly modular, which by its nature negatively impacts flow. Consequently, Part VI reads as more of an introduction to selected brain regions and their functions then as an organized treatment of behavioral neuroscience. Overall, the organization is logical, following a pattern of topics used in several other introductory neuroscience textbooks.
The book’s interface features clearly organized text, figures, captions, and animations. Supplemental material such as quizzes and video lectures are presented at the end of each chapter. Sometimes there are suggestions for further reading. Overall, the interface is straightforward. Note that in the downloadable PDF version of the book animations are linked and not embedded.
The textbook has been properly copyedited, and the writing was largely free of grammatical errors. The few typographical and spelling mistakes do not detract from the presentation. The few errors found are listed below to assist with the next revision.
Page 125, the last sentence in the “Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors” section is missing a period
Page 148, Figure 13.2 Caption: “Glutamate” instead of “Glutamine” as the first word
Page 156, Figure 14.2: “Musimol” should be “Muscimol”
Page 199, Figure 19.8: “Glutatmate” should be “Glutamate”
Page 286, “1928” should be “1982”
Page 441, would be better if the following text is removed “This is where you can add appendices or other back matter.”
This resource is not culturally insensitive or offensive.
I applaud Dr. Henley for writing a strong first edition of an open text for those learners new to neuroscience. The quality of the provided text, figures, and video lectures is high. The animations are simple and effective. It is clear a great amount of work went into the production of this new resource. The modular nature of the text will allow instructors and students to pull precise resources for specific situations. Overall, though not comprehensive in nature, this text serves as a useful resource for teaching undergraduates new to neuroscience.
This review was produced as part of grant funded by the NC State University Libraries Alt-Textbook Project. All opinions expressed are those of the reviewer.
This rating comes with an asterisk because it is still a work in progress. In the introduction it is noted that more chapters and sections are coming. At the date of this review it would not fully cover an introductory neuroscience class if you... read more
This rating comes with an asterisk because it is still a work in progress. In the introduction it is noted that more chapters and sections are coming. At the date of this review it would not fully cover an introductory neuroscience class if you are looking for more chapters related to specific topics like learning and memory, cognition, language, emotion, etc. However, what is here so far is appropriate for what is included in the sections up to behavior. On caveat would be the neuroanatomy section is a bit light if you want to go beyond lobes of the brain and visible external structure. Some of the current modulars in the Behavior section feel light, but if the goal is a survey of topics across a broad area of neuroscience it could serve that goal. Hopefully a glossary and index will be part of the eventual overall structure of the text. One other note is that there is no citation structure in the text that I can see. Experiments are described without reference to a source.
Everything here is accurate and well described. It is very recent and up to date.
Part of this rating is with the coming sections in mind. Content that is here is up to date and relevant to the target audience which is introductory neuroscience for undergraduates who don't necessarily have previous experience. The organization of what is here so far will work for that level of student and provides information in a meaningful way. I would like to see a little more attention paid to glia at some point in the fundamental chapters so that we do not continue to perpetuate the idea that neurons are important and everything else is just "other".
The text here is clearly written for the intended audience of novice undergraduates, and uses an appropriate level of jargon.
Organization of the modules is consistent across sections, and terminology use and level of jargon usage is maintained as well. Level of detail is in general much more in the early fundamental chapters on neuron structure and function, and starts to become more survey like in the later sections especially in the behavior section.
Highly modular, and this could easily be used to pull individual chapters for classes where you only need certain pieces of information.
Again, what is here is organized logically at least in the early sections. When the rest of the modules are added (more sensory systems, other higher level behavioral chapters, etc.) it should continue in that fashion.
I really enjoy the book's interface. There is a clear stated use of Universal Design in the introduction to the book, and it shows. There's a clear and consistent use of good figures, animations, quizzes, and video lectures (with captions) that accompany each section. Extra material is always linked at the top of the chapter and again present at the bottom/throughout the section of text. It was very easy to use, and seems like it would be quite easy for the student to use as well.
Writing is strong and clear.
Nothing offensive in anyway, though there is no expressed recognition of cultural issues either. There is a statement on the non-binary nature of gender, but no in depth discussion. I don't see anything here that would harm students, but if you are looking for material that will help facilitate discussions or recognition of culture it does not achieve that.
There's a lot of potential for this text as a comprehensive introductory neuroscience book as the additional modules continue to be posted. At the moment, it could not serve as the main or only text for a class, but with the modular nature you could certainly use chapters from here to supplement or replace other readings in individual classes. Linking to specific sources for experiments and expanding the higher level behavior sections of the book are needed to become a more well-rounded intro course source.
This text covers a wide range of topics; however, some that would be helpful to include for a typical Introductory Neuroscience course are currently missing even on the list of topics that are intended to be covered in the near future. Examples... read more
This text covers a wide range of topics; however, some that would be helpful to include for a typical Introductory Neuroscience course are currently missing even on the list of topics that are intended to be covered in the near future. Examples include:
Glial Cells
Synaptic Plasticity
Development and Wiring of the Nervous System
Overview of Disorders of the Nervous System
History of Neuroscience
Evolutionary Neuroscience or Neuroethology
The content for some existing topics, especially those in the ‘Behavior’ section, could be a bit more detailed if this book were to replace - not complement - other textbooks. Additional sub-sections within each topic providing a brief overview of how the discoveries were made and the tools and techniques commonly used, while potentially beyond the scope of this resource, may enhance student engagement.
The content is simplified yet accurate, error-free and unbiased.
The content is up-to-date and arranged such that updates will be relatively straightforward to implement.
The text is written in a clear and accessible manner. A glossary of frequently used terms could enhance this text. The text, illustrations, animations and videos have been prepared keeping the principles of Universal Design for Learning in mind, thus considering accessibility. However, the volume of the narration that goes along with the videos seems quite low even at maximum level.
The text is internally consistent as are the key takeaways, interactive quizzes, images, animations, and videos. These features and the internal consistency throughout add a lot of value to this resource.
The text is easy to read in chunks and is not overly self-referential.
The topics are presented in a logical order overall. However, the chapter on Epigenetics seems a bit out of place.
The interface is easy to navigate and free of distortions and distractions.
The text doesn’t have any obvious grammatical errors.
The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. The topics are not controversial. The content is presented as a collection of facts and does not go into details about the people behind the discoveries, making its cultural sensitivity with respect to inclusiveness an irrelevant aspect to judge.
This text is a great resource for an introductory neuroscience course for non-majors. However, it may need to be supplemented with other readings for a course that is intended for neuroscience majors.
Foundations of Neuroscience by Casey Henley is an excellent introductory neuroscience textbook that covers nearly all essential concepts for an introductory class. The material covering the neuron, neuronal communication, nervous system... read more
Foundations of Neuroscience by Casey Henley is an excellent introductory neuroscience textbook that covers nearly all essential concepts for an introductory class. The material covering the neuron, neuronal communication, nervous system organization, and sensory systems is quite extensive and thorough. The textbook also does a okay job at introducing complex topics such as stress and motivation and reward, as well as a few other behavioral topics. However, the text is lacking with regards to mental illness and neurobiological diseases and disorders. Although an emphasis on all of these topics is not necessary for an introductory textbook, it would be helpful to dedicate some space (small sections) to them.
This textbook is accurate in its description of introductory neuroscience concepts and material.
As with most neuroscience textbooks, updates will eventually be needed as the field advances. However, I foresee being able to use this textbook for a many years without any problems. The author describes fundamental concepts in a way that is not dependent on individual findings/papers, and as such this textbook will be relevant even as new discoveries that add to our knowledge are made.
This textbook is extremely clear and accessible. When read online, the text is accompanied by short videos that help explain essential concepts that can often be confusing for younger students. I especially appreciated the short videos in the second section of the book, neuronal communication. Furthermore, terms are clearly defined throughout the text and the language used to describe terms and concepts is easy to follow and understand. Lastly, although the diagrams are somewhat simple, they are very clear, well-labeled, and easy to interpret.
The book is highly consistent in terms of its terminology and framework. The only thing that is somewhat inconsistent is the amount of space and length of individual sections. This is particularly evident in the last few sections. The individual subsections in the behavior section differ in their length somewhat, which may limit an instructor's ability to focus on one topic instead of another.
The way in which this textbook is split up is excellent for a semester-long course. The 6 major sections of the book (and the subsections) make it easy for instructors to assign smaller portions to individual days/weeks throughout the term.
Its contents are well laid out and organized in such a way that allows for readers to easily build on sequential concepts. This is especially true for the first three sections of the book.
I read this textbook online, so I can only speak to that interface. With that being said, I did find its layout and interface easy to use and quite enjoyable. The ability to watch the videos as I was reading was very helpful. It was easy for me to orient myself to the major sections, as well as the smaller subsections. All of the images were clear and easy to follow.
I did not find any grammatical errors. However, I was not actively looking for any small errors.
This book does not contain any culturally insensitive or offensive material. The diagrams depicting skin and the human body do not depict skin color or race, and as such are inclusive to all.
Overall, this is an excellent textbook. I am excited to use this textbook with my introductory neuroscience students in the coming years. Although it is not as extensive and comprehensive as Kandel's "Principles of Neural Science", it is quite comparable to Connors' "Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain" and Larry Squire's "Fundamental Neuroscience". I encourage any educators using the two latter textbooks to consider this open-sourced textbook by Casey Henley
I am so pleased to see an excellent, clear, concise, and consistent open textbook on basic neuroscience concepts and facts. I wish I had been made aware of this book earlier! It is difficult to provide a truly comprehensive overview of all of... read more
I am so pleased to see an excellent, clear, concise, and consistent open textbook on basic neuroscience concepts and facts. I wish I had been made aware of this book earlier!
It is difficult to provide a truly comprehensive overview of all of neuroscience. A textbook that aimed to do this would grow without bounds in each edition, and we only need to turn to the various editions of Kandel et al. for a classic example. Thankfully, this is clearly not the aim of this textbook. As stated in the Introduction, the intended audience is “the undergraduate student that is new to neuroscience”. The first edition is further limited to topics that are covered by the Neurobiology course at Michigan State University, so the textbook does not currently include many planned additions, which include topics like emotion, memory, pain, diseases and disorders, pain, audition, olfaction, and sleep.
The parts that are most comprehensive at the time of this review are Part I (Neuron Structure and Function) and Part II (Neuronal Communication). These parts give a sufficiently detailed overview of these basic concepts and cover the “right” topics—that is to say, the ones that I would expect undergraduates to know well when taking an upper-level neurobiology course. The overview of neuroanatomy in Part III appears too brief and basic, but it is really an introduction to the more advanced neuroanatomy that is well described in Part IV (e.g., the DCML pathway) and Part V (e.g., the direct and indirect pathways of the basal ganglia). As in Parts I-II, Parts III-V of the textbook have found the “Goldilocks zone” that balances comprehensiveness and conciseness.
An extremely minor suggestion is to include tetrodotoxin, picrotoxin, and botulinum/tetanus toxin to the discussion of drugs and toxins in Part II.
Considering the intended audience of this textbook, and once the planned topics are added, it would seem hard to find any weaknesses worth mentioning when considering the comprehensiveness of this textbook.
The content is accurate and reflects the current consensus on major, important neuroscience concepts. If there are any issues in this first edition, they are very minor and can be addressed by the instructor. (For example, in Fig. 16.1, the rostro-caudal axis could be illustrated as a single, continuous, and “curved” axis spanning the entire CNS, and the spinal cord could be shown as ending around L1-L2.)
The text focuses on content that has been fundamental to our current understanding of neuroscience. So, barring a great paradigm shift, it is obvious that the textbook will not become obsolete any time soon.
The clarity of the text is one of the key strengths of this textbook. It provides the needed facts and concepts with enough detail to be accurate, but without the excessive detail that bogs down conceptual understanding in a novice neuroscience student.
An excellent example of the clear writing is in the Voltage Clamp chapter. Teaching the importance and conceptual framework of voltage clamp to a novice undergraduate is not for the faint of heart, but the chapter breaks it down simply, clearly, and concisely. At the end of the chapter, the Additional Review box does a wonderful job of solidifying prior concepts so the student can feel confident understanding this technique and its importance in the field.
A minor suggestion would be to enhance the explanation of saltatory conduction by showing how the membrane voltage changes across one myelinated segment across time and space.
The high consistency of the text is part of the reason why the text is so clear. Most of the chapters also consistently have illustrations and interactive content to enhance learning.
I think the way the text is organized into subsections with headings is another key strength of this book. I would feel extremely comfortable assigning small sections of the text as needed, knowing that students are reading relevant and essential information, and would not need to refer to other parts of the text (or other resources) too much to understand the sections that I assign.
The logical flow of this book is one of its major strengths, and I find it difficult to believe that there could be a much better way to order the sequence of topics. I only find two very minor issues here. First, although Part III is already framed as an introduction to Part IV and Part V, this fact could be accentuated a bit more. Second, including Epigenetics, Sexual Differentiation, and Masculinizing Effects of Estrogen chapters is interesting, but their rationale for inclusion is a bit unclear because the chapters do not appear to deal with neuroscience concepts directly, nor do they seem to further the development of prior neuroscience concepts.
The interface is another key strength of the textbook. I expected to read a simple textbook with text and some illustrations, but I was pleasantly surprised to see video overviews, animations, and interactive quiz questions! These were all properly integrated and worked well at the time of the review. Obviously, with these interactive features, the online version is the best interface. The PDFs worked well, and so did the EPUB version (which I viewed with Calibre and with Adobe Digital Editions). I did not test the ODT version.
It is very clear that the textbook is properly edited in this regard. I think that there was only one case where there were some very minor mistakes in spelling (Fig. 14.2), but this in no way undermined my confidence in the text.
The textbook does not address topics that would be problematic in terms of race, ethnicity, or cultural background.
Overall, the author has done a tremendous job of producing an excellent first edition of a neuroscience open textbook. The planned additional topics are very exciting because they will transform this into a key resource for those who are teaching and learning undergraduate introductory neuroscience. I will already begin to use this book in my courses and I am deeply impressed by the planning and execution of this textbook.
The book is comprehensive with regard to neuronal structure, function, communication, nervous system organization, as well as sensory and motor systems. However, the text does not address neurological disorders, mental illness and treatments. read more
The book is comprehensive with regard to neuronal structure, function, communication, nervous system organization, as well as sensory and motor systems. However, the text does not address neurological disorders, mental illness and treatments.
From the chapters I reviewed, the content appears to be accurate, error-free and unbiased. Given the nature of the content, which is scientific and
fact-based, this book is less likely to be biased (than perhaps more subjective topics).
The well studied and scientific nature of the content is likely to be relevant now and in the future. However, there are new discoveries relating to the brain and neuronal communication, particularly with regard to the treatment of addiction, neurological disorders and mental illness. I would like to see this content included and updated (when necessary).
It looks as though additional content can be implemented in a relatively easy and straightforward manner.
The clarity of this text is impressive. Moreover, the author still provides adequate and understandable content-despite the neuroscience terminology.
I found the text to be internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework.
The text seems to be easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections. And in fact, topics are arranged in manageable or small paragraphs, which makes this difficult content easier to understand and process for an undergraduate student.
I thought the topics were presented in a logical, clear fashion. However, there should be more information listed in the social behavior and stress sections, along with content involving relevant disorders and treatment.
The interface was free of significant issues. Many video elements were removed, but author provided a link where content can be viewed by reader. Some images were simplistic, though still informative. Also, the reader can click on a given chapter in the table of contents to immediately access that information, versus scrolling through previous chapters until the desired content is found.
In this book review, I did not detect grammatical errors.
This text is scientific-based, and therefore culturally "neutral". The examples used in content do not focus on race or ethnicity.
I found the overview and key takeaways to be helpful, in summarizing the content for learning and study purposes.
Table of Contents
- I. Neuron Structure & Function
- II. Neuronal Communication
- III. Nervous System Organization
- IV. Sensory Systems
- V. Motor System
- VI. Behavior
Ancillary Material
Submit ancillary resourceAbout the Book
Foundations of Neuroscience is aimed at undergraduate students new to the field of neuroscience. The first edition specifically targets students enrolled in Neurobiology at Michigan State University and primarily contains topics covered in that course.
About the Contributors
Author
Casey Henley, Michigan State University