Neural and Behavioral Specificity

Studies on the Development of Behavior and the Nervous System, Volume 3: Neural and Behavioral Specificity covers the fundamental concepts and principles of neural and behavioral specificity in various species, including fish, amphibians, birds, and mammals. This book is composed of five sections encompassing eight chapters. The first section discusses the historical developments of neurobiological research; the role of visual experience in the functional development of the visual system; and the interrelationship between maturation and experience in development. The second section examines the developmental control of synaptogenesis and the precise neural cell connections. This section further addresses the main discrepancies in the evidence and interpretations of the retinotectal specificity based on the chemoaffinity theory. The third section discusses the role of visual experience in the development of the mammalian striate cortex, with particular emphasis on the incorporation of ontogenetic information into the developing nervous system. This topic is followed by an overview of the properties of kitten visual neurons and of some evidence for plasticity in the developing visual systems of frogs, monkeys, and man. The concluding sections cover the theories of innate species-specific behavioral development and the ontogeny of mammalian perceptual development. Neurodevelopmental biologists and researchers will find this book invaluable.