The nature and diversity of presentations at the second International
Conference on Insect Neurochemistry and Neurophysiology (ICINN--86) held
at the University of Maryland on August 4-6. 1986, attest to the vital-
ity and broad scope of research in insect neuroscience. The present vol-
ume is a written account of the invited lectures, contributed papers,
and posters presented at the conference, and as such, serves as a fair
indica- tor of the trends in current research in this field here and
abroad. The principal portion of this book consists of seven review
papers that were presented by invited speakers. Although the topics vary
wide- ly, they reflect on and emphasize the main theme of the
conference, i. e., the nature and function of molecular messengers that
communicate be- meen the central nervous system and organs or tissues
involved in the growth, development, reproduction, and behavior of
insects. This empha- sis is continued in the following three sections on
neurochemistry, neuro- physiology, and neuroanatomy, although no
conscious effort was made by the organizers to highlight these
particular fields of neuroscience. It is evident that the recent
advances in both physical and chemical analyti- cal techniques have made
possible the acquisition of structurally defined probes, the long
sought-after tools for unraveling the secrets of endogen- ous
communication. Each section of short papers derived from the oral and
poster presentations at the conference is prefaced by an overview that
highlights and summarizes the section's content.
