Drive: Neurobiological and Molecular Mechanisms of Sexual Motivation (Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience)

Product Description What arouses an animal or human from an inactive, nonresponsive state to a condition of activity and responsiveness? What are the biological mechanisms for this change? In this book Donald W. Pfaff focuses on a reproductive behavior typical of many female animals. Sensory stimuli from the male trigger responses in a well-defined circuit of nerve cells. At the top of the circuit, certain nerve cells receive and retain sex hormones such as estrogens and progesterone. As a result, specific genes in these nerve cells are turned on at specific times, affecting in turn the rest of the neural circuit and causing a state of sexual responsiveness. According to Pfaff, the biological bases for the most primitive human drives are largely explained by mechanisms uncovered in animal brains that have not changed in their fundamental properties over millions of years of evolution. Focusing on a single instinctive behavior, in this case the sex drive, is an important step toward understanding the biological reasons for the change from unmotivated to motivated animal behavior. Review An erudite account of sexual drive by one of the foremost authorities in the field. Both veterans and novices will find Don Pfaff's eloquent analysis of where our knowledge of sexual drive stands and how we got there a treat. The book is a must for studies of behavior in the post-genome era it should be read before rather than after deciding the next experimental strategy. (George Fink, Director of the MRC Brain Metabolism Unit and Honorary Professor, University of Edinburgh) In lucidly written book that is intellectually stimulating yet still true fun, Dr. Pfaff has accomplished the seemingly impossible. He has thoroughly reviewed research on sexual drive from genes and molecules to human behavior. The resulting synthesis provides fresh insights into how we think, feel, and behave. (Solomon H. Snyder, Department of Neuroscience, John Hopkins University) In a lucidly written book that is intellectually stimulating yet still true fun, Dr. Pfaff has accomplished the seemingly impossible. He has thoroughly reviewed research on sexual drive from genes and molecules to human behavior. The resulting synthesis provides fresh insights into how we think, feel, and behave. ( Solomon H. Snyder, Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University) About the Author James D. Fearon is a Professor of Political Science at Stanford University.