| | Principles of Neural Science (PRINCIPLES OF NEURAL SCIENCE (KANDEL)) |  | Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Medical
Discount Category: Digital Book Service
Buy New: $23.00
Customer Ratings:  43 comments
Format: Amazon Upgrade
Media: Digital
Edition: 4
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 1414
Shipping Weight (pounds): 5
Dimensions (inch): 11 x 8.6 x 2.4
Dewey Decimal Number: 612.8
Publication Date: January 5, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Comments:
 great book November 30, 2007
This is a great book by any standard. A massive amount of information in the vast field of neuroscience is covered in detail and synthesized in a coherent fashion. In addition to Eric Kandel's pioneering laboratory research, this book is one of his great contributions to neuroscience, and of course many other scientists contributed to it, including James Schwartz and Thomas Jessell. It's as good as the best textbooks I've read, such as Alberts' Molecular Biology of the Cell. It covers up to date research, in addition to the history of the field. Topics range from the molecular workings of the neuron all the way up to behavior. It's not at all dumbed down, so someone seeking a "CliffsNotes" version of the field should look elsewhere. I suppose, however, if someone just wants a summary of the field, he can simply read the subheadlines in each chapter. The book is lengthy due to its detail, but the intelligent general reader should readily understand nearly all of it. And in spite of its length it actually is concise in covering this broad range of subject matter. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.
 Unless you are into behavioral neuroscience keep looking November 6, 2007
4 out of 5 found this comment useful.
Kandel is an outstanding Nobel laureate. Unfortunately, his capabilities as a writer don't match his capabilities as a researcher.
Now, I am a medical student, and used this book for neurophysiology. The book is big and blabby, in that concepts aren't very clear and they sure aren't summarized. There is a lot of material pertaining to experiments on animals (mainly rats, cats, and monkeys) which are then generalized to humans, following the classical behavioral and developmental neuroscience models.
If you need or expect to deepen your understanding of molecular and cognitive neuroscience by using this book, run away. Furthermore, when it comes to the specific topics, the sensory system and apparatuses are done very well, but this is not the case for the motor system (very very very confused!), let alone the so called "superior functions" (cognitive functions are described poorly, with a pour-pourri of "maybe this" and "maybe that"). It's also a good starter for CNS ion channels, but as I said it's just a starter.
If you are a medical student, read the sensory system and do the rest elsewhere. If you are a cognitive or molecular neuroscientist, just run. If you are a behavioral neuroscientist, this might be a good intro to the topic.
Beware of the digital upgrade September 5, 2007
7 out of 8 found this comment useful.
I wanted to forewarn other users, especially students, of the pitfalls of the digital upgrade option:
1) Don't buy the upgrade if you're hoping to get access to it through the library computers, instead of having to lug the massive book to school. Apparently, you cannot view any online book from more than 7 different computers within a 30 day period. And, consequently, if the cache happens to get cleared after each session (as is the case with most shared computers), then you're limited to only 7 sessions with ANY computer.
2) Beware that the book is hard to read online. It's great for adding annotations (highlighting text, adding bookmarks, typing notes, etc.), but it's a real strain on the eyes if you try to read a full chapter. The text is low contrast (gray on white) and low resolution. Even when you use the Zoom-in feature (which lets you increase the size a little bit), it's still hard on the eyes. The text is still just blurry enough to make you think you might need glasses. After several chapters, you probably will need glasses :-)
p.s. I have continued to try to use the digital updgrade (through Amazon Online Reader), and have encountered another major issue that I wanted to warn others about... Don't rely on the online reader for note taking. As technology is notorious for, you risk loosing everything. I like to use the highlight and bookmark feature, but after a day of reading and annotating, I just found that everything I've done in the past 24 hours has been lost. The digital reader may become more of a liability than a feature worth paying for.
From Start to End March 27, 2007
4 out of 7 found this comment useful.
This is a great educational text. Each chapter starts from cellular level and progresses to the functional and clinical level. Being a chiropractor and working with the spine everyday I need to understand exactly where the problem starts and not focus on the symptoms. This text has allowed me to understand what is neurophysiologically going on with my patients and improve their course of treatment. As described the neurological system is the electricity of the body and if a fuse decides to blow you need to know where to look.
Impressive for a textbook February 12, 2007
3 out of 4 found this comment useful.
As far as textbooks go, this has to be one of the best that I have come across...and I have come across quite a few. The material is divided into closely related sections, and the text is clear and to the point in its explanation. Not much filler text or needless material. The diagrams are pretty clear and well positioned in the sections also.
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