Genes, Brain and Behavior (2008) 7: 831–832 # 2008 The AuthorJournal compilation # 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society

Books in short

What’s Wrong with My Mouse? Behavioral

Phenotyping of Transgenic and Knockout Mice

J. N. Crawley

Wiley Interscience, 2nd edn., 2007. $99.95 (hardcover), xvi þ523 pp. ISBN 978-0-471-47192-9

This book hardly needs any description. Since the first edition

was published in 1999, this book has become a ‘must’ forevery behavioral neuroscientist working with mice. The

second edition contains many upgrades and additions. Theonly very minor quibble would be that the chapter on how to

produce transgenic and knockout mice is not really necessaryand unnecessarily seems to limit the book to those types of

mice. In fact, anyone studying mouse behavior simply musthave this book on the shelves. Preferably two copies: one for

the office, one for the laboratory.

Neurobehavioral Genetics: Methods and Applications

B. C. Jones and P. Mormede (eds)

CRC Press, 2nd edn., 2007. $149.95 (hardcover), xxþ 496 pp.ISBN 978-0-849-31903-7

This is the second, revised, updated, and enlarged edition ofa successful course book. The book is written by faculty of

the long-running series of International (previously: French-

American) Summer Schools on Neurobehavioral Geneticsorganized by Jones and Mormede. Compared with a book

written by one author or a small team of authors, an editedbook has the drawback of usually being somewhat more

variable in quality from chapter to chapter. It has the advan-tage, however; the quality does not directly depend on the

specific expertise of its authors, because editors can invitedifferent specialists for each chapter. As a result, this book is

currently the only all-round behavioral and neural geneticstextbook with a balanced presentation of different subfields.

The added chapters and the replacement of a few weakerchapters with new ones, have made this edition even more

attractive compared with the previous one.

An Introduction to Nervous Systems

R. J. Greenspan

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2007. $45.-, xþ 172 pp.ISBN 978-0-87969-757-0

This is an engaging little book that provides an enchanting

insight into the wonderful world of invertebrate nervoussystems. The book treats not only the usual suspects (fruit

flies, honey bees, Aplysia), but also shows many fascinating

things from animals that are studied much more rarely, such

as jelly fish and barnacles. Although not directly intended forbehavioral neurogeneticists, this is a book that almost all of us

will want to read.

Invertebrate Neurobiology

G. North and R. J. Greenspan (eds)

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2007. $135.- (hard-cover), xii þ 665 pp. ISBN 978-087969819-5

This is the second book published by Ralph Greenspan(together with Geoffrey North) in 2007 (see also preceding).

It covers many different aspects of invertebrate neurobiology,

although it will be clear that given the vastness of the subject,it can hardly be complete. Covering sensory and motor

systems, learning and memory, evolution, and other behav-iors such as foraging and courtship in flies, worms, and other

organisms, the book succeeds in passing Greenspan’s mes-sage that researchers studying vertebrates can learn a lot

from what is being discovered in invertebrates, despite thesometimes obvious lack of homology. Given how close this

comes to the philosophy underlying Genes, Brain and Behav-ior’s editorial scope, it should not come as a surprise that I

recommend this book warmly to all neurobiologist, regardlessof their pet animal subject.

Computational Neurogenetic Modeling

L. Benuskova and N. Kasabov

Springer, 2007.V69.95 (hardcover), xiiþ 290 pp. ISBN 978-0-387-48353-5

Computational models of the brain or of particular brain

structures have been around for quite a while. However,the current flood of genomic data concerning gene expres-

sion in the brain, gene regulatory networks, etc. makes itpossible and desirable to integrate these two approaches.

This book provides an introduction into this budding new field.Examples treated concern the modeling of genetic control of

neural development and applications to learning and memory

and psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.

Adult Neurogenesis

F. H. Gage, G. Kempermann, and H. Song (eds)

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2008. $ 135.- (hard-cover), xii þ 673 pp. ISBN 978-0-87969-784-6

This book presents an overview of current knowledge regard-

ing neurogenesis in the adult mammalian brain. Although the

doi: 10.1111/j.1601-183X.2008.00424.x 831

existence of adult neurogenesis is not contested anymore,controversy still abounds about the functional implications of

newly formed neurons and the possibility that perturbationsof neurogenesis could lead to neuropsychiatric disorders

(most notably, major depressive illness). The book bringstogether chapters written by a large number of specialists on

topics varying from basic underlying processes to adultneurogenesis in natural populations.

Handbook of Statistical Genetics

D. J. Balding, M. Bishop, and C. Cannings (eds)

JohnWiley & Sons, 2007. $390.- (hardcover), two volumes, liiþ 1392 þ LXXXIV pp. ISBN 978-0-470-05830-5

This is already the third edition of a Handbook that was firstpublished only in 2001, so obviously this work is filling a need.

In 43 chapters and almost 1400 pages, the book coversalmost any aspect of statistical genetics imaginable, from

gene-mapping methods to the analysis of microarray geneexpression data. Phylogenetics, evolutionary genetics, pop-

ulation genetics, animal and plant breeding techniques, as

well as social and ethical aspects dealing with topics such asinsurance and forensics are also covered. However, the book

notably is a bit weak on many methods used in neuro-behavioral genetics. For instance, recombinant inbred strains

are mentioned only in passing on a single page. Some moreclassical breeding designs, such as the diallel cross and the

associated Hayman-Jinks analysis of variance, are not men-tioned at all, although these methods are admittedly not often

used any more (but neither have they been abandonedaltogether either). Similarly for human behavior genetic

methods: the word ‘twin’ does not even appear in the index.Although this work will undoubtedly be of value for research-

ers in many genetic subfields, its utility for neurobehavioralgeneticists is limited.

Wim E. CrusioCentre de Neurosciences Integratives et Cognitives

Universite de Bordeaux and CNRS UMR 5228Bat B2 – Avenue des Facultes

33405 TalenceFrance

E-mail: wim_crusio@yahoo.com

832 Genes, Brain and Behavior (2008) 7: 831–832

Books in short