This book comprehensively covers the molecular basis of stress responses of the nervous system, providing a unique and fundamental insight into the molecular, physiological and behavioral basis of the stress response of a whole organism. Edited by leading experts in the field and summarizing the latest research advances in this area, this ready reference is an invaluable resource for clinicians dealing with stress-related disorders, biomedical researchers working in the field as well as for pharmacology and biotech companies. From the contents: Systems in Stress Research Cells and Circuits Cognition and Behavior Immune Responses Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Vulnerability to Disease

SYSTEMS On the Role of Stress in Evolution (Hadany) Catecholamines and Stress (Sabban) Stress and the Cholinergic System: (De Biasi) CELLS AND CIRCUITS Effects of Stress on the Function of Hippocampal Cells (Joels, Karst) Stress and Adult Neurogenesis in the Mammalian Central Nervous System (Kirby, Kaufer) Individual differences in Reactivity to Social Stress in the Laboratory and its Mediation by Common genetic polymorphisms (Shalev, Lerer, Israel, Uzefovsky, Gritsenko, Mankuta, Kait, Ebstein) COGNITION AND BEHAVIOUR Corticosteroid Hormones in Stress and Anxiety; Role of Receptor Variants and Environmental Inputs (de Rijk, Kitraki, de Kloet) Corticotropin-Releasing Factor (CRF) and CRF-Related Peptides- a Linkage Between Stress and Anxiety (Thomas Blank, Joachim Spiess) Stress, Emotion, and Memory: The Good, the Bad, and the Intriguing (Marin, Schramek, Maheu, Lupien) Contribution of Early Life Stress to Anxiety Disorder (Weinstock) IMMUNE RESPONSES Stress Effects on Immunity in vertebrates and Invertebrates (Shapira) Immunity to Self Maintains Resistance to Mental Stress; Boosting Immunity as a complement to Psychological Therapy (Lewitus, Schwartz-Stav, Schwartz) Brain Interleukin-1 (IL-1) Mediates Stress-Induced Alterations in HPA Activation, Memory Functioning and Neural Plasticity (Goshen, Yirmiya) POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER Post-Traumatic Stress disorder in Animal Models (Cohen, Kozlovsky, Richter-Levin, Zohar) The Cholinergic Model for PTSD: From Acute Stress to PTSD, From Neuron to Network and Behavior: (Friedman, Pavlovsky) VULNERABILITY TO DISEASE Stress and Neurodegeneration: Adding Insult to Injury? (Berson, Hanan, Soreq) Stress and Neurotransmission: Clinical Evidence and Therapeutic Implications (Shalev, Cohen) Metabolic Components of Neuroendocrine Allostatic Responses: Implications in Life-Style Related Diseases (Berg, Pedersen) Environmental Stress is not Always Vicious: A Lesson from Heat Acclimation-Mediated Neuroprotection after Traumatic Brain Injury (Horowitz and Shohami)