to it. Once the manuscripts were in hand, it was the The preface to the first edition of Neuroscience in Medicine began with a simple statement: “Neuro- editor’s job to make the writing uniform, remove science is a fascinating discipline.” The interest that duplicative materials except where essential for ease of understanding, and incorporate additional provoked the preparation of a second edition means that statement still rings true. The challenge remained critical material. Neuroscience in Medicine is designed to reveal the to define the core material. I have attempted to restrict certain peripheral topics—the generalities basic science underlying disease and treatments for of biosynthesis and gene expression, for example— neural disorders. Though the chapters are intended to interdigitate, each chapter can be read as a stand in order to allow the remaining topics to include new material and, in some cases, to showcase developing alone—that is, each contains a complete discussion of the topic. areas—neuroimmunology, for example—in the hope that this will pique the interests of the reader and I am pleased that the “Clinical Correlations,” a keep the volume fresh. popular feature of the first edition, are again included. We have also been aided in our task by the art and As in the first edition of Neuroscience in Me- cine, the authors are selected from leaders in editorial staff at Humana, whose help I gratefully acknowledge.