by Douglas Wahlsten (Author)
Genes, Brain Function, and Behavior
offers a concise description of the nervous system that processes
sensory input and initiates motor movements. It reviews how behaviors
are defined and measured, and how experts decide when a behavior is
perturbed and in need of treatment. Behavioral disorders that are
clearly related to a defect in a specific gene are reviewed, and the
challenges of understanding complex traits such as intelligence, autism
and schizophrenia that involve numerous genes and environmental factors
are explored. New methods of altering genes offer hope for treating or
even preventing difficulties that arise in our genes. This book explains
what genes are, what they do in the nervous system, and how this
impacts both brain function and behavior.
- Presents essential background, facts, and terminology about genes, brain function, and behavior
- Builds clear explanations on this solid foundation while minimizing technical jargon
- Explores in depth several single-gene and chromosomal neurological disorders
- Derives lessons from these clear examples and highlights key lessons in boxes
- Examines
the intricacies of complex traits that involve multiple genetic and
environmental factors by applying lessons from simpler disorders
- Explains diagnosis and definition