Main description:

This volume explores the quickly evolving field of Purinergic signaling, and examines how receptors for ATP and other nucleotides, and receptors for adenosine, act in neuronal transmission, control of synaptic activity, proliferation, differentiation and cell death regulation in the CNS. This book focuses on the participation of purinergic receptors and ectonucleotidases, degrading ATP into adenosine, in embryonic and adult neurogenesis in vitro and in vivo as well as in synaptic transmission and pathophysiology. Further, the chapters discuss varying brain diseases, including Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease, autism, mood disorders and epilepsy, as well as brain tumors, in the context of purinergic signaling and its clinical aspects. The development of purinergic receptor agonists is also an important issue of this book. This book provides a critical review of the current state of science and will be useful for both scientists and students who are or would like to get involved in this area. Furthermore, this book addresses neuroscientists, physician and professionals from the industry, who would like to update themselves in this exciting and rapidly growing field of neuroscience.

Contents:

1. Introduction into purinergic signalling (Henning Ulrich, University of Sao Paulo)

2. Purinergic signaling in brain physiology (Alexei Verkhratsky, University of Manchester; Yong Tang, Chengdu University of Traditional Medicine, China)

3. Purinergic signaling in neurogenesis and neural fate determination (Henning Ulrich, University of Sao Paulo; Peter Illes, University of Leipzig); Herbert Zimmermann (University of Frankfurt)

4. Purinergic signaling in neurodevelopmental disorders (autism)

(Carmem Gottfried, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Victorio Bambini, University of Central Lancaster)

5. Purinergic receptors in mood disease (Samia Joca, University of Aarhus, Denmark; Rui Prediger and Manuella P. Kaster, Federal University of Santa Catarina

6. Adenosine and ageing (Rodrigo Cunha, University of Coimbra, Portugal)

7 . Purinergic receptors and Alzheimers disease (David Blum, University of Lille, France; Cecile Dalarasse, University of Orsay, France)

8. Purinergic receptors and multiple sclerosis (Carlos Matute and Maria Domercq, University of University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Leioa, Spain;

9. Purinergic receptors in movement disease (Parkinson's and Huntington's disease) (Henning Ulrich, Talita Glaser, University of Sao Paulo; Beata Sperlagh, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary; Rodrigo Cunha, University of Coimbra, Portugal)

10. Purinergic receptors in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Cinzia Volonte, University of Rome; Ronaldo Sluyter, University of Wollongong, Australia

11. Purinergic signaling in ischemia (Christain Madry, University College London, UK)

12. Purinergic receptors in epilepsy (Tobias Engel and Edward Beamer, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland; Maria Jose da Silva Fernandes, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

13. Purinergic signaling in neuroinflammation (Elena Adinolfi, University of Ferrara, Italy; Mariusz Z. Ratacjzak, University of Louisville, KY, USA

14. Purinergic signaling in brain cancer (Ana Maria O. Battastini, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Claudiana Lameu, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil)

15. Purinergic receptor agonists and antagonist development (Kenneth Jacobsen, NIH, Bethesda, USA; Christa E. Muller, University of Bonn, Germany)

16. Acupuncture for counteracting P2X4 and P2X7 receptor involvement in neuroinflammation and (Yong Tang, Chengdu University of Traditional Medicine, China)