Nitric Oxide in the Nervous System

The gas nitric oxide (NO) has burst upon neuroscience only recently, and yet it has permeated into almost every avenue of current research. The unique properties of this novel messenger have revolutionized our way ofthinking about neurotransmission. These special properties have also lead neuroscientists to invoke NO to explain many previously unexplained phenomena in neurobiology. Fortunately, the development of numerous pharmacological agents is now allowing thesehypotheses to be tested.
This volume will provide a synopsis of what is now known about NO. How and where NO is produced, how it acts at the molecular level to activate the synthesis of cGMP, and the possible targets of cGMP in the nervous system are reviewed. The roles of theNO/cGMP signal transduction pathway in the central and peripheral nervous systems, in glial cells, and in neuropathology are then explored. Together, these reviews will lead to further work explaining the varied functions of NO.

Key Features
* Describes how and why NO is produced in the nervous system
* Examines all that is known of NOs role as a neurotransmitter
* Explores cellular actions and physiological roles in the brain and peripheral nervous system
Covers NOs molecular synthesis to its role in neuropathology

D.S. Bredt, Molecular Characterization of Nitric Oxide Synthase.
B. Mayer, Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology of Nitric Oxide Synthases.
D. Koesling, P. Humbert, and G. Schultz, The NO Receptor: Characterization and Regulation of Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase.
T.M. Lincoln, Cyclic GMP Receptor Proteins: Role in Nervous System and Other Tissues.
S.R. Vincent, Localization of Nitric Oxide Neurons in the Central Nervous System.
P.L. Wood, NitricOxide and Excitatory Amino Acid-Coupled Signal Transduction in the Cerebellum and Hippocampus.
E.M. Schuman, Nitric Oxide Signalling, Long-Term Potentiation and Long-Term Depression.
S. Amir, Nitric Oxide Signaling in the Hypothalamus.
S.Murphy, D.M. Grzybicki, and M.L. Simmons, Glial Cells as Nitric Oxide Sources and Targets.
P.D. Varner and J.S. Beckman, Nitric Oxide Toxicity in Neuronal Injury and Degeneration.
N. Toda, Nitric Oxide and the Regulation of Cerebral Arterial Tone.
M.J. Rand and C.G. Li, Nitric Oxide in the Autonomic and Enteric Nervous Systems.
N.O. Sjstrand and E. Klinge, Nitric Oxide and the Neural Regulation of the Penis.
Chapter References.
Subject Index.