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Principles of Neural Science cover

First published in 1981 by Elsevier, Principles of Neural Science is a neuroscience textbook edited by Eric R. Kandel, James Schwartz, and Thomas Jessell. The original edition was 468 pages; now on the fourth edition, the book has grown to 1414 pages. The second edition was published in 1985, third in 1991, fourth in 2000, with the fifth edition due for publication on October 17, 2007.

• Kandel was one of the recipients of the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He is currently a professor of biochemistry, molecular biophysics, physiology, cellular biophysics, and psychiatry at Columbia University. He is a senior investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a recipient of the National Medal of Science.
• Schwartz was a professor of physiology, cellular biophysics, neurology, and psychiatry at Columbia University.
• Jessell, became an editor of the book starting from the third edition, he is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia University. He is also an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Including the three editors—all of whom also contributed to individual chapters in the book—there are a total of 45 authors of this text. Included among there are several notable researchers and physicians. Several authors are also highly decorated scientists, including Nobel laureate Linda B. Buck.

Principles of Neural Science is often assigned as a textbook for many undergraduate and graduate neuroscience and neurobiology courses. The book attempts to at least introduce every aspect of the modern understanding of the biology of the brain. The fourth edition is divided into nine parts:

• Part I: The Neurobiology of Behavior
• Part II: Cell and Molecular Biology of the Neurons
• Part II: Elementary Interactions Between Neurons: Synaptic Transmission
• Part IV: The Neural Basis of Cognition
• Part V: Perception
• Part VI: Movement
• Part VII: Arousal, Emotion, and Behavior Homeostasis
• Part VIII: The Development of the Nervous System
• Part IX: Language, Thought, Mood, and Learning and Memory

• Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessell TM 2000. Principles of Neural Science, 4th ed. McGraw-Hill, New York. ISBN 0-8385-7701-6
• Kandel ER et al 2007. 5th ed. ISBN 0-07-139011-1