The Wiley Handbook of Evolutionary Neuroscience - Hardcover

by Stephen V. Shepherd (Editor)

Comprehensive and authoritative, The Wiley Handbook of Evolutionary Neuroscience unifies the diverse strands of an interdisciplinary field exploring the evolution of brains and cognition.

• A comprehensive reference that unifies the diverse interests and approaches associated with the neuroscientific study of brain evolution and the emergence of cognition
• Tackles some of the biggest questions in neuroscience including what brains are for, what factors constrain their biological development, and how they evolve and interact
• Provides a broad and balanced view of the subject, reviewing both vertebrate and invertebrate anatomy and emphasizing their shared origins and mechanisms
• Features contributions from highly respected scholars in their fields

Back Jacket

Evolutionary neuroscience is an interdisciplinary research field that studies the evolution of brains and cognition. Drawing on both neuroscience and biology, evolutionary neuroscientists work across species in order to better understand how biology builds minds, and how this informs our scientific understanding of the human brain. The Wiley Handbook of Evolutionary Neuroscience unifies these two linked aspects of the field, embedding them in a strong theoretical framework in order to create a comprehensive reference for advanced students and researchers.

Chapters provide a thorough overview of brain structure and development, an exploration of how brains change through evolution and experience, and a discussion of how brains interact. The text also offers a balanced view of brain anatomy, looking beyond higher vertebrates to reveal the common mechanisms that govern computation and behavior across widely disparate species. Combining a broad focus with authoritative coverage, The Wiley Handbook of Evolutionary Neuroscience is a rigorous introduction to an active and important field.

Author Biography

Stephen Shepherd is a Research Associate in the Laboratory of Neural Systems, Rockefeller University, New York, USA, and was previously Chair of the Princeton University Postdoctoral Association. He has published his work in diverse journals including Proceedings of the Royal Society, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal of Neuroscience, Current Biology and Animal Cognition, and has also contributed chapters to a several books.