The Claustrum : Structural, Functional, and Clinical Neuroscience

## Notice No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons, or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. Content: Front-matter , Page i Copyright , Page ii List of Contributors , Pages vii-viii , Joan Susan Baizer, W. Ted Brown, Nicola G. Cascella, Michael E. Corcoran, Rastislav Druga, Lawrence R. Edelstein, Brian A. Fenske, Juan C. Fernandez-Miranda, Michael Flory, Alex O. Holcombe, Humi Imaki, John Irwin Johnson, Michail E. Kalaitzakis, Przemysław Kowiański, Izabela Kuchna, Shuang Yong Ma, Janusz Moryś, Denis Noble, Raymond Noble, Krzysztof Nowicki, et al. Acknowledgments , Page ix Introduction , Pages xi-xiv Chapter 1 - History of the Study and Nomenclature of the Claustrum , Pages 1-27 , John Irwin Johnson, Brian A. Fenske Chapter 2 - The Structure and Connections of the Claustrum , Pages 29-84 , Rastislav Druga Chapter 3 - The Neurochemical Organization of the Claustrum , Pages 85-118 , Joan Susan Baizer Chapter 4 - Development and Evolution of the Claustrum , Pages 119-176 , Luis Puelles Chapter 5 - Physiology of the Claustrum , Pages 177-191 , Helen Sherk Chapter 6 - Neurocomputation and Coding in the Claustrum: Comparisons with the Pulvinar , Pages 193-207 , Klaus M. Stiefel, Alex O. Holcombe Chapter 7 - Structural and Functional Connectivity of the Claustrum in the Human Brain , Pages 209-224 , Sudhir Pathak, Juan C. Fernandez-Miranda Chapter 8 - Delayed Development of the Claustrum in Autism , Pages 225-235 , Jerzy Wegiel, Janusz Moryś, Przemysław Kowiański, Shuang Yong Ma, Izabela Kuchna, Krzysztof Nowicki, Humi Imaki, Jarek Wegiel, Michael Flory, W.Ted Brown, Thomas Wisniewski Chapter 9 - The Claustrum in Schizophrenia , Pages 237-243 , Nicola G. Cascella, Akira Sawa Chapter 10 - Clinical Relations: Epilepsy , Pages 245-261 , Michael E. Corcoran Chapter 11 - The Claustrum and Alzheimer’s Disease , Pages 263-275 , Annalena Venneri, Michael Shanks Chapter 12 - Parkinson’s Disease and the Claustrum , Pages 277-297 , Michail E. Kalaitzakis Chapter 13 - Hypotheses Relating to the Function of the Claustrum , Pages 299-352 , John R. Smythies, Lawrence R. Edelstein, Vilayanur S. Ramachandran Chapter 14 - What is it to be Conscious? , Pages 353-363 , Denis Noble, Raymond Noble, James Schwaber Chapter 15 - Selected Key Areas for Future Research on the Claustrum , Pages 365-376 , Hiroyuki Okuno, John R. Smythies, Lawrence R. Edelstein Index , Pages 377-393

The present day is witnessing an explosion of our understanding of how the brain works at all levels, in which complexity is piled on complexity, and mechanisms of astonishing elegance are being continually discovered. This process is most developed in the major areas of the brain, such as the cortex, thalamus, and striatum. The Claustrum instead focuses on a small, remote, and, until recently, relatively unknown area of the brain. In recent years, researchers have come to believe that the claustrum is concerned with consciousness, a bold hypothesis supported by the claustrum’s two-way connections with nearly every other region of the brain and its seeming involvement with multisensory integrations—the hallmark of consciousness. The claustrum, previously in a humble position at the back of the stage, might in fact be the conductor of the brain’s orchestra.

The Claustrum brings together leading experts on the claustrum from the varied disciplines of neuroscience, providing a state-of-the-art presentation of what is currently known about the claustrum, promising lines of current research (including epigenetics), and projections of new lines of investigation on the horizon.

• Develops a unifying hypothesis about the claustrum’s role in consciousness, as well as the integration of sensory information and other higher brain functions.
• Discusses the involvement of the claustrum with autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease
• Coverage of all aspects of the claustrum, from its evolution and development to promising new lines of research, including epigenetics, provides a platform and point of reference for future investigative efforts
  

The present day is witnessing an explosion of our understanding of how the brain works at all levels, in which complexity is piled on complexity, and mechanisms of astonishing elegance are being continually discovered. This process is most developed in the major areas of the brain, such as the cortex, thalamus, and striatum. The Claustrum instead focuses on a small, remote, and, until recently, relatively unknown area of the brain. In recent years, researchers have come to believe that the claustrum is concerned with consciousness, a bold hypothesis supported by the claustrum's two-way connections with nearly every other region of the brain and its seeming involvement with multisensory integrations—the hallmark of consciousness. The claustrum, previously in a humble position at the back of the stage, might in fact be the conductor of the brain's orchestra. The Claustrum brings together leading experts on the claustrum from the varied disciplines of neuroscience, providing a state-of-the-art presentation of what is currently known about the claustrum, promising lines of current research (including epigenetics), and projections of new lines of investigation on the horizon. Develops a unifying hypothesis about the claustrum's role in consciousness, as well as the integration of sensory information and other higher brain functions Discusses the involvement of the claustrum with autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease Coverage of all aspects of the claustrum, from its evolution and development to promising new lines of research, including epigenetics, provides a platform and point of reference for future investigative efforts