PREFACE 



This book has derived from the research interests of the author 

 but also includes material used in the teaching of Psychological 

 Medicine in the University of London. The writing has been 

 prompted by the need for a collected account of the present state 

 of knowledge relating to connexions between the metabolism of 

 phosphorylated compounds and the functioning of nervous tissue. 

 Because studies of this nature are of increasing interest to workers 

 in psychiatry and medicine who are not familiar either with the 

 subject or with the biochemical techniques involved, the present 

 account has been written with their requirements in mind. 

 Nevertheless, biochemical detail necessary to a proper treatment of 

 the subject has not been omitted. Selection of literature has been 

 inevitable, but the effort has been made to include all relevant 

 information published up to January 1959. 



The writing of this book has been greatly assisted by the 

 encouragement of Professor H. Mcllwain, in whose Department 

 the author has worked for several years. Thanks are also due to 

 Dr. W. L. Magee and Dr. G. H. Sloane- Stanley who read several 

 chapters of the manuscript and made many helpful comments. 

 Dr. J. B. Brierley gave much assistance with the section relating 

 to the blood-brain barrier, but is not responsible for the views 

 expressed. Permission from the Biochemical Journal to reproduce 

 Fig. 12, 13 and 14 is gratefully acknowledged. It is a pleasure to 

 acknowledge the help received from the Pergamon Press in the 

 presentation of the material. 



P. J. Heald 



