Springer Development of the Inner Ear: 26 (Springer Handbook of Auditory Research, 26)

The Springer Handbook of Auditory Research presents a series of compreh- sive and synthetic reviews of the fundamental topics in modern auditory - search. The volumes are aimed at all individuals with interests in hearing research including advanced graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and clinical investigators. The volumes are intended to introduce new investigators to important aspects of hearing science and to help established investigators to betterunderstandthefundamentaltheoriesanddatain?eldsofhearingthatthey may not normally follow closely. Each volume presents a particular topic comprehensively, and each servesas a synthetic overview and guide to the literature. As such, the chapters present neither exhaustive data reviews nor original research that has not yet appeared in peer-reviewed journals. The volumes focus on topics that have developed a solid data and conceptual foundation rather than on those for which a literature is only beginning to develop. New research areas will be covered on a timely basis in the series as they begin to mature. Eachvolumeintheseriesconsistsofafewsubstantialchaptersonaparticular topic. In some cases, the topics will be ones of traditional interest for which there is a substantial body of data and theory, such as auditory neuroanatomy (Vol. 1) and neurophysiology (Vol. 2). Other volumes in the series deal with topics that have begun to mature more recently, suchasdevelopment,plasticity, and computational models of neural processing. In many cases, the series - itorsarejoinedbyaco-editorhavingspecialexpertiseinthetopicofthevolume. Review From the reviews: "Since I was committed to writing several comprehensive reviews about ear development, I had anticipated that the book would be of a great help in these endeavors and I was not disappointed. Typical of this series, the seven chapters are authoritative, thoughtful, and timely treatises … . there remains ample need for the deeper and more scholarly full-length treatises offered here. My looming sense of despair about ever staying abreast of the literature … has been mollified … through the valiant efforts of these authors." (Donna M-Fekete, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 81, December, 2006) "This book presents a highly detailed and up-to-date report of the state of experimental embryology of the vertebrate inner ear. … Descriptive micrographs and illustrations are excellent and add much to the text. This book will be of great value to scientists and students working in the disciplines associated with development of the inner ear." (American Journal of Neuroradiology, Vol. 29, April, 2008) From the Back Cover This book describes the embryonic development of the vertebrate inner ear in six chapters that span all aspects of inner ear development, from the induction of the otic placode through cellular morphogenesis, to the onset of auditory function. In each chapter, a particular aspect of development of the inner ear is examined in terms of both classic embryologic experiments and more recent advances using molecular biological techniques. The publication of this volume is particularly timely in light of recent significant advances in molecular biological and cellular imaging techniques. These changes have led to an explosion in the pace of developmental inner ear research that is clearly reflected in the chapters presented here. The book will serve as a useful resource for scientists who study inner ear biology, as well as developmental biologists who work in other systems, but have an interest in an overview of the developing ear. This book will also be a valuable resource for clinicians who wish to know more about the development of the ear and about the genetic and molecular factors that regulate its formation. Matthew Kelley and Doris Wu are both Investigators at the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health, B