Molecular neuropharmacology for the new millennium

Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience by Eric J. Nestler, Steven E. Hyman and Robert C. Malenka, McGraw-Hill, 2001. $49.95/£36.99 (560 pages) ISBN 0 838 563791For decades, there has been one book and one book only to teach neuropharmacology: The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology by Cooper, Bloom and Roth [1xCooper, J.R. et al. See all References][1]. Several editions have appeared over the past three decades and it has not really had a serious challenger. However, one has just appeared. There is much good about this book written by three of the leading academic psychiatrists in the USA. Eric Nestler, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School in Dallas (TX, USA), is best known for his elucidation of the role of signal transduction pathways in the long-term effects of drugs of abuse and psychotherapeutic agents. Steve Hyman, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) at the time he co-authored this volume, was at the forefront of molecular neurobiology before taking on the NIMH role; he is now back at Harvard, as their newly appointed provost. Robert Malenka, the Pritzker Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford (CA, USA), is arguably psychiatry's best known molecular neurobiologist, focusing his efforts largely on uncovering the cellular basis of synaptic plasticity. It is not a coincidence that these three academic stars, who represent a new generation of psychiatric investigators, have written their generations’ view of the subject previously covered by Cooper, Bloom and Roth, and have, as I see it, produced a worthy challenger indeed.Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience is printed in a large paperback format, which lends itself to half-page and full-page illustrations and which is integral to the success of this introductory textbook. The book is organized in three parts: Fundamentals of Neuropharmacology, Neural Substrates of Drug Action, and Neuropharmacology of Specific Neural Functions and Related Disorders. The first two parts alone are worth the cost of the book – they represent the clearest depiction of the state-of-the-art in basic neuropharmacology, ranging from the most basic concepts of receptor binding to the molecular nuances of receptor cycling, regulation of gene expression and, of course, signal transduction. The third part is, by virtue of the state of the field it covers, more diffuse and speculative: this is exemplified by its descriptions of the pathophysiology of the CNS in mood and anxiety disorders, drug abuse, epilepsy, psychoses and stroke.What about this book did I find lacking? First, and foremost, is the lack of color illustration. For this, I must fault the publisher – they should have known better. The standard shades of blue and gray are adequate for many of the drawings of receptor structures and models of neurons and glia, but the figures could have been considerably enhanced as teaching tools if a full range of colors had been utilized. The photomicrographs are unfortunately frequently of less-than-optimal quality, as are the functional brain images. A second issue that arises is what role the 11 contributory authors played in this volume? Did they actually write one or another of the sections? This should be explicitly described. Finally, I found the absence of any discussion of clinical trial methodology lacking in a book that included so many discussions on the efficacy of one or another agent in one or another neuropsychiatric disorder.Hopefully, future editions will consider these constructive suggestions. However, my enthusiasm about this volume is not in any way diminished by my few criticisms. Indeed, I predict that this volume will become the required reading of graduate students in neurobiology and pharmacology, advanced undergraduate students, interested medical students and physicians training in psychiatry or neurology. The authors have presented the field with a tour de force and we should eagerly adopt this text as one of our own.