The first brain: the neuroscience of planarians

Foreword / Robert B. Raffa, PhD

Foreword / Harvey B. Sarnat, MD

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part I. Fundamentals

1. Science

Silence Does Not Exist

Reductionism and Its Advantages and Limits

On Theories and Theories

Evolution and Life

2. Biomedical Research

Biochemistry and Cell Biology Lite

How We Classify Life

Animal Models and Biomedical Research

Basic or Fundamental Research?

Part II. The Science of the Brain

3. An Introduction to the Neurosciences

Neuroscience or Neurobiology?

Neurons

The Spaniard and the Italian

Excitable Cells and Electrophysiology

Synapses and Chemical Neurotransmission

Is a Nervous System Absolutely Necessary for Survival?

Plant Neurobiology

4. The Human Brain

What Exactly Is a Brain?

The Human Brain and Nervous System

A Brief History of What People Thought of Their Brains

The Complexity of the Human Brain/On Really BIG Numbers

5. Some Brief Thoughts on Pharmacology

What Is Pharmacology?

Psychopharmacology, Plant Style

Animal Models in Pharmacology

Part III. Planarians

6. Planarians

What Is a Flatworm?

Flatworm Fossil Records

What Is a Planarian?

Early Works with Planarians (1700s-1800s)

Planariologists: Three "Personal" Connections

7. Planarians in Modern Biology

Genetics

First They Liked Planarians and Then They Didn't

Sages of Regeneration

Of Planarians and Genomes

8. Planarians in the Popular Culture: The Arts, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Humor

Planarians in the Popular Culture

Planarian Man

Planarians and the Reimagined Battlestar Galactica TV Series

Fringe

Twilight

The Big Bang Theory

Dr. Who

Part IV. The First Brain

9. The First Brain

Early, Really Early Nervous Systems

The First Hunters

The First Brain

Why Are Planarians an Excellent Animal Model in Neuroscience?

Very Brief Comments on Protopsychology

10. From Corals and Plants to Planarians and Rats

Planarians in Pharmacology: Nicotine and Cocaine

The Beginnings of Systematic Planarian Pharmacology Research

The Temple University Team

The Joy of Discovery

From Corals and Plants to Planarians and Rats

Planarian Research Translated to Vertebrates: What It Does Mean, and What It Doesn't

What Can the Planarian Brain Teach Us About Our Own?

Epilogue

Notes

Bibliography

Index