Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:List and describe the functions of the structural components of a neuronList and describe the four main types of neuronsCompare the functions of different types of glial cells

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Distinguish between the two major cell types of the nervous system, neurons and gliaIdentify the basic parts of a neuron

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"A critical cellular process that occurs in the wake of a stroke in mice could hint at how to salvage otherwise compromised brain tissue. Strokes happen when the flow of blood to the brain is blocked, most often by a blood clot in a vessel. This creates two zones of injury: a central core and a radiating penumbra. Deprived of oxygen and glucose, brain cells in the core can die within minutes. Those in the penumbra are not as severely damaged. But if blood flow isn’t re-established within hours, those cells will succumb too. That’s why fast responses to strokes are so important—especially among the elderly, who are less resilient than younger sufferers of stroke. New research shows that that disparity between aged and young brains could be due to differences in calcium ion activity brought on by stroke. After inducing stroke in old and young mice, researchers found that spontaneous calcium activity was reduced in the brains of young mice, whereas it was increased in the brains of old mice..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"For nearly 25 years, scientists have known of the neuroprotective properties associated with the protein called prosaposin. But exactly how prosaposin exerts these effects has been a matter of debate. Initial research using a neuroactive fragment of the protein, called TX14(A), identified two closely related receptors thought to mediate the actions of prosaposin. But this work was later challenged. Now, an international team of scientists has reported strong evidence that prosaposin does activate these receptors, which may help pave the way for a new class of neuroprotective drugs. Uncertainty over the status of prosaposin as an endogenous ligand for GPR37L1 and GPR37 has stemmed from the use of widely varying experimental conditions. The main inconsistency with past work was the use of cell lines derived from ovary, kidney or yeast to study the receptors. But this creates a physiological mismatch, as the receptors are almost exclusively expressed in the brain..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Identify the basic parts of a neuronDescribe how neurons communicate with each otherExplain how drugs act as agonists or antagonists for a given neurotransmitter system