Author Description

Research on the biological mechanisms of learning and memory is undergoing a dramatic revolution as molecular and cellular biology, electrophysiology, neuroethology and neuropsychology increase understanding of the processes that occur in nerve cells, neuronal circuits and brain systems. Bridging all levels of neurobiological analysis, this study of learning and memory describes and explains the concepts, methods, findings and conclusions of modern learning research. The text begins with a treatment of simple nervous systems and molecular mechanisms, and then proceeds to more complex learning in the vertebrate brain. It discusses imprinting and bird song and the relationship between learning and development. The book concludes with the functional organization of highly complex memory systems in the human brain, and their disintegration in amnesia.