hit counter


The Visual Neurosciences, 2 Volume Set, (Bradford Books)

The Visual Neurosciences, 2 Volume Set, (Bradford Books) Cover
ISBN-100262033089
ISBN-139780262033084
PublisherThe MIT Press
Publication Date2003-11-01
Pages1808
Dewey Decimal612.84
Rating3.50
Categories
Description
Visual science is the model system for neuroscience, its findings relevant to all other areas. This massive collection of papers by leading researchers in the field will become an essential reference for researchers and students in visual neuroscience, and will be of importance to researchers and professionals in other disciplines, including molecular and cellular biology, cognitive science, ophthalmology, psychology, computer science, optometry, and education.

Over 100 chapters cover the entire field of visual neuroscience, from its historical foundations to the latest research and findings in molecular mechanisms and network modeling. The book is organized by topic--different sections cover such subjects as the history of vision science; developmental processes; retinal mechanisms and processes; organization of visual pathways; subcortical processing; processing in the primary visual cortex; detection and sampling; brightness and color; form, shape,and object recognition; motion, depth, and spatial relationships; eye movements; attention and cognition; and theoretical and computational perspectives. The list of contributors includes leading international researchers in visual science.

Visual Neurophysiology, not Visual Neurosciences

A great idea and a somewhat disappointing result. This book is missing one more volume that should have covered the anatomy of the vertebrate visual system. For some reason the editors have chosen to ignore a wealth of information on the anatomy of the amphibian, avian and mammalian vertebrate visual systems, without which visual neurophysiology cannot be fully understood or appreciated. Less specialized books, such as "Comparative Vertebrate Neuroanatomy" by Butler and Hodos, cover visual neuroanatomy much better than this two-volume set. As a comprehensive reference book on visual neurophysiology, "The Visual Neurosciences" (which should have been called "Visual Neurophysiology") may well deserve a place in the neuroscientist's library.

Encyclopedia of Visual Neurophysiology

This is 2 Volume 2000pg Tome on Vision. It's comprehensive and covers most of the topics. The physiology, neuroanatomy, psychology, and imaging (i.e. fMRI, EEG, VEPs) of Vision are covered. There is a large section of 200 pages devoted exclusively to Visual Psychophysics. Very well respected authors contribute to these to volumes, giving it an international flavor. The book is meant as a reference text. There is a very extensive bibliography at the end of each chapter. It is a reference work so you can look up the chapter on MST (heading perception), V1 (primary visual cortex), MT (motion perception), ganglion cell recordings, retinal dark current & ion channels, illusions, and others. It will go into good depth in most areas. If you're in Vision Research, it is not enough, you will need more specialized books and journals (i.e. Machine Vision, Vision Research, Eye Movements). The format reminds me of the journal format for Nature Reviews Neuroscience. You better believe I am going to keep it in my library. The weakness of this set of books is that it does not cover Machine Vision, robotics, electronics, new technologies in vision, and it does not have an experimental methods section. Once reading, it can overwhelm you, so write down a list of 2 topics to look up each time you set-up to read it. This will easily be a standard reference for 7-10 years.