Central Nervous System Control of Autonomic Function

edited by David Jordan, Harwood Academic Press, 1997. £69.00 (xiv + 304 pages) ISBN 3 7186 5141 6A series of 14 books that summarize current research issues concerning the autonomic nervous system is in the process of being published by Harwood Academic Press. The purpose of this series is to redirect thinking about autonomic control mechanisms, and this newest volume, which is edited by David Jordan, focuses on CNS control mechanisms. It contains nine chapters that deal with a range of topics, for example: the physiology of sympathetic and vagal preganglionic neurons; intrinsic spinal circuits affecting sympathetic function; neural regulation of urinary and sexual functions; effects of exercise on regional sympathetic outflow; airway regulation; electrodermal response; and the role of the cerebellum in cardiovascular and respiratory functions.This book will be most useful to more advanced researchers rather than graduate and medical students because it assumes the reader has some background knowledge regarding central autonomic regulation. Unfortunately, very few of the chapters give overviews or simplified drawings. Still, many of the chapters provide first-rate research reviews, such as the discussion regarding sympathetic preganglionic neurons (Gilbey), intrinsic, spinal sympathetic circuits (Weaver and Polosa), neural regulation of the airways (Jordan), and the politically correct chapter by McKenna and Marson describing brainstem and spinal circuits involved in sex for the male and female. Although coverage in the other chapters is generally solid, there appears to have been a long delay before going to press because the literature citations rarely include papers from, or more recent than, 1995; this limits its usefulness.Many of the chapters devote large amounts of space to the description of earlier studies that dealt with functional brain maps obtained by electrical stimulation. Because this method does not provide reliable scientific information about neural circuits, most researchers now have abandoned its use, and thus, it was surprising the editor did not curtail these discussions. Indeed, because a strong editorial hand was not exercised, the book contains some misinformation. For example, in several places in the book, the term `hypothalamic defense area' is used as if this a scientific fact; this is untenable in view of the landmark experiment by Bandler[1xBandler, R. Neurosci. Lett. 1982; 30: 183–188Crossref | PubMed | Scopus (121)See all References][1]that demonstrated that the defense response is co-ordinated by the periaqueductal gray matter, not the hypothalamus[2xBandler, R and Shipley, M. Trends Neurosci. 1994; 17: 379–389Abstract | Full Text PDF | PubMed | Scopus (710)See all References][2].Several major subjects and issues regarding autonomic research have been omitted. For example, the autonomic changes that occur during emotional responses, such as fear, were not covered. An even more important issue not discussed in this monograph concerns the use of anesthesia. Sufficient data have now been published that suggest that this might be a confounding factor that causes results to be obtained that are the opposite of those obtained in the awake state[3xKannan, H et al. Am. J. Physiol. 1989; 256: R1325–R1330PubMedSee all References][3]. Thus, a discussion of the complications caused by anesthetics would have added a lot to this book.In conclusion, this book will be a useful reference for certain specialized topics related to autonomic control, but its overall coverage is limited, often providing a litany of what was done, rather than actually serving as agent provocateur.