This is a timely review of the mechanisms underlying presynaptic control of synaptic transmission and the role they play in sensory and motor behavior. It will be of particular interest to neuroscientists studying synaptic transmission or sensorimotor control.

Introduction ; Part I: Basic Mechanisms of Presynaptic Control ; 1. Anatomical Basis for Presynaptic Inhibition on Primary Sensory Fibers ; 2. Chloride Transport, Osmotic Balance and Presynaptic Inhibition ; 3. Mechanisms and Physiological Implications of Receptor-Mediated Inhibition of Voltage-Dependent Ca2+ Channels ; 4. Presynaptic Inhibition and Faciliation of Transmitter Release ; 5. Primary Afferent Depolarization and Presynaptic Inhibition ; 6. Control of Action Potential Invasion into Terminal Arborizations ; 7. Action Potential Propagation Along Primary Afferents and Presynaptic Inhibition in Clarkes's Column of the Spinal Cord ; 8. Two Types of Inhibition in the Spinal Cord ; 9. The Relative Contributions of GABAA and GABB Receptors to Presynaptic Inhibition of Group Ia EPSPs ; 10. Modulation of Transmitter Release From Ia Afferents by Their Preceding Activity - A 'Post-activation Depression' ; 11. Presynaptic Inhibition of Neuromuscular Transmission in Crayfish ; 12. Regulation of Primary Eighth Nerve Synapses on the Mauthner Cell ; 13. Some Unanswered Questions About the Mechanisms and Function of Presynaptic Inhibition ; Part II: Presynaptic Control of Segmental Inputs ; 14. Presynaptic Inhibition and the Anatomy of Group Ia Afferents ; 15. Ia Fiber Architecture: Implications for the Functional Role of Presynaptic Inhibition ; 16. Dynamic Aspects of Presynaptic Function in the Developing Mammalian Spinal Cord ; 17. Selectivity of the Presynaptic Control of Synaptic Effectiveness of Group 1 Afferents in the Mammalian Spinal Cord ; 18. Presynaptic Inhibition Can Act as a Filter of Input from Tendon Organs during Muscle Contraction ; 19. Neuronal Systems Involved in Modulation Synaptic Transmission from Group II Muscle Afferents ; 20. Presynaptic Inhibition of Synaptic Transmssion from Sensory, Intemeuronal and Supraspinal Neurons to Spinal Target Cells in Lamprey ; 21. Differential Control of Presynaptic Inhibition of Ia Terminals during Voluntary Movement in Humans ; 22. PAD and Modulation of Evoked Group II Flexion Reflexes during MLR-Evoked Fictive Locomotion ; 23. Presynaptic Mechanisms during Locomotion ; 24. Modulation of Excitatory Perineal Reflexes and Sacral Striated Motoneuron during Micturition in the Cat ; 25. A Contribution of Dorsal Root Reflexes to Peripheral Inflammation ; 26. Modulation of Nociceptive Information at the Presynaptic Terminals of Primary Afferent Fibers ; Bibliography ; Index

"...this scholarly and rigorous treatise of presynaptic inhibition will prove valuable to anyone exploring the depths of synaptic integration."--The Quarterly Review of Biology "Overall, this book is well-written and nicely produced. The list of authors is impressive and certainly represents leaders in the field. The editors have also done a good job in achieving a relatively uniform style among the different chapters and the cross-references between the different chapters are quite helpful." - Dr. Robert Chen, The Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences