{"product_id":"sculptor-and-destroyer-isbn-9780262048187","title":"Sculptor and Destroyer","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe fascinating story of glutamate, the neurotransmitter that controls the structure and function of the brain in health and neurological disorders.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eSculptor and Destroyer\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of a simple, little-known molecule that became a master architect and commander of the human brain: glutamate. Upward of 90 percent of the neurons in the human brain deploy glutamate as their neurotransmitter. Other neurotransmitters can only exert their effects on brain function by subtly modifying the ongoing activity of glutamatergic neurons, but during brain development glutamate controls the growth of dendrites and the formation of synapses. In this eye-opening book, Mark Mattson explains how the neurotransmitter glutamate controls the structure and function of neuronal networks in the brain, thereby mediating the brain’s capabilities, including learning and memory, creativity, and imagination.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMattson also delves deeply into the dark side of glutamate, which he calls the “destroyer” side. He shows how relatively subtle aberrancies in the activity of neurons that deploy glutamate may result in behavioral disorders ranging from autism and schizophrenia to chronic anxiety and depression. More dramatically, he describes how glutamate can excite neurons to death, a process that occurs in epilepsy and stroke and, perhaps even more insidiously, in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and Huntington’s disease. \u003ci\u003eSculptor and Destroyer\u003c\/i\u003e concludes with a perspective on how knowledge of glutamate’s roles in neuroplasticity might be applied to the optimization of brain health throughout our lives.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten in\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eengaging, approachable prose\u003ci\u003e, Sculptor and Destroyer\u003c\/i\u003e will be of interest to anyone in the fields of neuroscience, neurology, psychiatry, and psychology, as well as to anyone with a curiosity about the human brain.Preface ix\u003cbr\u003e1 Introduction 1\u003cbr\u003e2 An Ancient Neurotransmitter 19\u003cbr\u003e3 Sculpting Baby's Brain 45\u003cbr\u003e4 Forget Me Not 65\u003cbr\u003e5 Seeking Energy 93\u003cbr\u003e6 Excited to Death 109\u003cbr\u003e7 Unexpected Attacks 121\u003cbr\u003e8 Eve of Destruction 139\u003cbr\u003e9 Center Stage in Mental Health 173\u003cbr\u003e10 One Pill Makes You... 191\u003cbr\u003e11 Sculpting a Better Brain 221\u003cbr\u003eSummary 251\u003cbr\u003eEpilogue 253\u003cbr\u003eReferences 261\u003cbr\u003eFurther Reading 287\u003cbr\u003eIndex 295“Few neurotransmitters match glutamate’s versatility in fostering or damaging the brain.  Few scientists match the magnitude of Mattson’s contributions to this knowledge.  And few books match this one as a superb synthesis of a field.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Robert Sapolsky, Professor, Stanford University; author of \u003ci\u003eBehave\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Whilst focusing on L-glutamate, this book delves into many aspects of neuroscience, reflecting the importance of this neurotransmitter in health and disease.  Written with great authority, it is essential reading for neuroscientists of all ages.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e —Graham Collingridge, Director of the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases and Professor in the Department of Physiology, University of Toronto; Senior Investigator, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto\u003c\/b\u003e Mark P. Mattson is currently Adjunct Professor of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University and was previously Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore. He is among the most highly cited neuroscientists in the world with more than 900 publications and 200,000 citations, is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has received many awards including the Metropolitan Life Foundation Medical Research Award and the Alzheimer’s Association Zenith Fellows Award. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eThe Intermittent Fasting Revolution: The Science of Optimizing Health and Enhancing Performance \u003c\/i\u003e(MIT Press).","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301999268069,"sku":"NP9780262048187","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262048187.jpg?v=1767736219","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/sculptor-and-destroyer-isbn-9780262048187","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}