The Intact and Sliced Brain

THE INTACT AND SLICED BRAIN By Mircea Steriade 2001. London: MIT Press Price £37.95. pp. 382. ISBN 0262194562 The Intact and Sliced Brain is a monograph of Mircea Steriade’s work as a leader in the field of thalamocortical function over the last 50 years. Although this book is predominantly a record of Steriade’s considerable volume of work, it also reviews the place of this research in the wider context. The book comprises four substantial chapters covering localization of brain function, the methodology underlying brain research, a comparison of in vitro and in vivo results, a chapter on synaptic networks underlying normal and paroxysmal states, as well as a very short fifth chapter on consciousness. The volume is very well produced with an excellent layout, one unusual feature being that work referred to in the text is referenced alongside in the generous margins and many of these references are annotated with the salient points of the particular paper being discussed. Another enjoyable aspect of the annotated margins is the inclusion of, in some cases extended, vignettes of eminent neurophysiologists and neuroanatomists who have historically contributed to our understanding of the functioning of the brain. The book is particularly well referenced and up to date; all the references are also listed conventionally at the end. Adding to the clarity of this work are the numerous figures which are invariably accompanied by extensive legends.