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Show Journal of Neuro- Ophthalmology 20( 3): 224, 2000. © 2000 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc., Philadelphia Books in Brief Development and Organization of the Retina: from Molecules to Function, edited by Leo M. Chalupa and Barbara L. Finlay. Plenum Press, New York, 1998. This fine monograph is one of the NATO ASI series published by the Advanced Science Institute. The goal of the ASI is to bring to the scientific community activities sponsored by the NATO Committee on Science. This volume is composed of the proceedings of an institute study that transpired from June 18- 28, 1997, in Crete, Greece, and it is devoted to the topic of development and organization of the retina. The symposium attempted to highlight the diversity and methodologies currently used in analysis of the retina and its projections. It summarized details of workers in mature retina, as well as workers in retinal development. This compendium offers an overview of current research topics that look at how the rather elegant and simple finite cell types of the retina transform photons captured by the eye into chemical and electrical signals that give rise to vision- no easy task. The contents of the book include chapters that examine the development of vision and the pre- visual system, cellular and molecular aspects of photoreceptors, embryonic patterning of cone subtypes, and development of the cone distribution patterns of mammals. Additionally, there are chapters regarding the topographic and cellular diversity of the primate retina, there are sections that address what makes a neuronal cell type different than other cell type, and there are papers regarding glial-neuronal interactions. There are papers that speak of comparative anatomy, functional anatomy, parallel pathways of vision, and cation currents in retinal ganglion cells themselves. Other papers look at newer neurotransmitters involved in retina physiology and the developmental changes in the spontaneous burst patterns of on-and- off retinal ganglion cells. Contributions emanate from the finest retinal laboratories worldwide, from the Salk Institute in San Diego to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Authors are preeminent in their field, including Pasko Rakic, Jeremy Cook, and Rubin Adler. The chapter " Getting to grips with neuronal diversity; what is a neuronal type?" is worth the price of admission itself. This text has all the appeal of a well- organized, well-formulated symposium. Topics are current, presentations are short, the literary style is informal, and the references are timely. It also suffers from the drawbacks of just such a symposium, with no overriding style, theme, or balanced focus. Nonetheless, this small monograph regarding development and organization of the retina serves to offer the clinician timely retinal research and thought-provoking analyses of plasticity of the central nervous Barrett Katz, MD, MBA system, and it serves to remind the neurologic community that the retina is indeed a card- carrying member of the central nervous system and deserves our continued interest and investment. Perimetry Update 1998- 1999: Proceedings of the 13th International Perimetric Society Meeting, September 6- 9, 1998, Gardone Riviera, Italy, edited by Michael Wall and John M. Wild. Kulgler Publications, The Hague, Netherlands, 1999. This is a selection of papers and posters initially presented at the 13th Annual Visual Fields Symposium sponsored by the International Perimetric Society. The symposium transpired in September of 1998 at the Grand Hotel on the Riviera in Italy, hosted by the University of Brescia, and attended by several hundred participants. This monograph memorializes that symposium, its papers and posters, and the discussions thereafter. Each paper provides an abstract with an introduction, and sections in methodology, results, and discussion. Each paper is well referenced, and many are finely illustrated by tables and schematic diagrams. The range of topics includes the fundamentals of perimetry, visual psycho-physics, newer perimetric techniques, algorithms for estimating threshold, perimetric variability, color perimetry, optic nerve- head imaging, and visual field investigations in ophthalmologic and neurologic conditions. Perimetric techniques surveyed include frequency-doubling technology, flicker perimetry, and pupil perimetry. Discussions of color perimetry highlight the short wavelength automated perimetry system used by clinicians. Imaging presentations summarized include mor-phometric and topographic analyses and what is currently derived from these modalities that is useful to clinical problems of the optic nerve. The papers are first class, contributed by an outstanding group of authors and presented in a reasonable package for people with special interest in the visual field and how it is measured. It is very much a research- driven enterprise. This is not gentle bedtime reading, nor is it for the faint of heart; it is not a clinician's handbook. Nonetheless, it is an erudite, expansive, and overarching summary of current research that involves the optic disk and its psychophysical parameters of vision. The serious neuro- ophthalmologist will find much of interest and use here. Barrett Katz, MD, MBA The George Washington University School of Medicine Washington, DC 224 223 each chapter. A CD ROM of the text is provided with each book. Strengths: This book is quite readable, except for areas where the language is somewhat awkward. The treatment recommendations are clear. Overall, the book is well balanced. Most of the illustrations are helpful, and the decision trees are well constructed. The historical interest of the authors continues throughout the book. One memorable quote is from Osier ( 1892), who said, regarding posttraumatic headaches, " so long as litigation is pending and the patient is in the hands of lawyers, the symptoms usually persist. . ." Weaknesses: Occasional awkward use of language and jargon weaken the literary appeal of the text. A photograph apparently depicting papilledema may be misleading; either the papilledema is mild, or it may be pseudo-papilledema. Pseudotumor cerebri is mentioned in the text once, and the term idiopathic intracranial hypertension is listed without being defined. Another omission is a clear warning that blindness can be a complication of giant cell arteritis. The visual complications of this important cause of headache are mentioned almost parenthetically. Recommended audience: This book should serve as an excellent introduction to the subject of headache for medical students or beginning neurology residents. It is intended for primary care physicians, and, in this sense, the book reaches this goal. Critical appraisal: Neuro- ophthalmologists should consider review of this concise and relatively up- to- date book because it could be a source of ideas for teaching purposes. It is an excellent resource that neuro-ophthalmologists can recommend to ophthalmic colleagues, family practitioners, and medical students who wish to gain an overview of headache syndromes and their management. Thomas R. Hedges III, MD Tufts, New England Medical Center Boston, Massachusetts / Neuro- Ophthalmol, Vol. 20, No. 3, 2000 |
