Lipids, Health, and Behavior - Rilegato

Public health officials have advised people to reduce their levels of serum cholesterol for years. However, recent population studies suggest that lowering cholesterol levels may actually increase the incidence of violent death. The controversy over the efficacy of lowering lipid levels has renewed interest in an important area of research: finding the connections among lipid levels, health and human behaviour. The 17 chapters in the multidisciplinary volume explore the role that lipids play in the biobehavioural nexus. The interrelationship among lipids, stress, mood and psychopathology to the role of lipids in neuronal processed is demonstrated. The volume explores a number of essential questions: How do we fit lipids into our conceptual framework of human behaviour? What are the implications of these lipid-behaviour links for understanding and treating psychological disturbance (e.g. schizophrenia, depression)? How is the association between lipids and behaviour relevant to our understanding of the central nervous system? Is the link between low cholesterol and violent deaths real or artifact, and what are the public health implications of resolving that polemic? Presenting both current and new research concerning lipids and human behaviour, this collection provides a platform for future investigation. It should be of interest to researchers and graduate students from many disciplines - including psychology, neurology and cardiology - as well as those shaping recommendations for public health policy.