More is known about the behavior, anatomy, and molecular biology of the laboratory rat than any other animal species. Although its natural history and psychological functions have been described previously in books, this is the first comprehensive description of its behavior. Both seasoned and beginning investigators will be amazed at the range and complexity of the species as described in the 43 chapters of this volume. The behavioral descriptions are closely tied to the laboratory methods from which they were derived, thus allowing investigators to correlate the behavior and methods and exploit them in their own research. This book is aimed at investigators in neuroscience who may not be familiar with rat behavior, but who wish to incorporate behavioral studies into their own research. Nevertheless, seasoned investigators will also find the book to be a handy reference for behavioral paradigms with which they may not be familiar. It is expected that as the genetic and molecular understanding of the rat develops, there will be an increasing need for knowledge about rat behavior. This book will serve as an indispensable resource for neuroscientists, psychologists, pharmacologists, geneticists, molecular biologists, zoologists, and their students and trainees.

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Bryan Kolb is Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology at the University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and coauthor of Fundamentals of Human Neuropsychology.

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". . . an extraordinarily diverse array of information is presented . . .This is a first-rate reference book, and neuroscience laboratories would be well-advised to have a copy." --John P. Aggleton in Nature Neuroscience

". . . an immense gift to the field." --A.G. Phillips, University of British Columbia

". . . the bible for rat researchers . . ." --The Globe and Mail