The present book is the outcome of a symposium on cal- cium
electrogenesis and neuronal functioning, held in January 1985 in the
Ringberg Castle of the Max Planck Society, located at the Tegernsee in
Bavaria. People from various fields in the neurosciences came together
in order to discuss the physiological characteris- tics of calcium
currents in nerve cells and the implications for an improved
understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of the central
nervous system. The chap- ters deal with the physical and
pharmacological properties of calcium currents, the role of calcium in
neurotransmis- sion and secretion, aspects of neuroplasticity, epilepsy,
and their behavioral implications. The 60th anniversary of Hans Dieter
Lux served as the occasion to gather a substantial number of his
colleagues to one of the most fascinating fields in present
neuroscience. We felt that this was the appropriate way to honour Hans
Dieter Lux for his impor- tant contributions to our understanding of the
central nerv- ous system. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the
Volkswagen-Stiftung, the German EEG Society, and the Max Planck Society
for their support of the symposium. We also wish to express our
gratitude to the following com- panies for sponsoring this volume: Fa.
List Elektronik, Darmstadt; Fa. Zeiss, Oberkochen; Fa. Sandoz, Basel;
Fa. Janssen, Neuss; Fa. Bayer, Leverkusen; Fa. Knoll, Ludwigs- hafen;
Fa. Merck, Darmstadt. The editors gratefully acknowledge the support of
the Springer-Verlag in editing this book, and the expert secre- tarial
assistance of G. Trinkel, U. Roessler, and B.
