by George G. Somjen, MD, 470 pages, with illus, $89.50, ISBN 0-19-515171-2, New York, NY, Oxford University Press, 2004.
In this monograph, Dr Somjen summarizes our understanding of the ionic basis of electrical activity of the central nervous system (CNS). Although the text focuses on the pathophysiology underlying several human disorders, it is not formulated as a clinical reference but as a review of the basic physiology of the CNS. As such, Dr Somjen’s goals are 2-fold: first, “to explain to clinicians the errant biophysical mechanisms” of several CNS disorders and, second, “to introduce research scientists who are not medically trained to the problems faced by their clinical colleagues.” Dr Somjen has succeeded in producing a text that spans the divide between laboratory neurophysiology and clinical experience.