The present book is the outcome of a symposium on cal- cium electrogenesis and neuronal functioning, held in January 1985 in the Ringberg Castle of the Max Planck Society, located at the Tegernsee in Bavaria. People from various fields in the neurosciences came together in order to discuss the physiological characteris- tics of calcium currents in nerve cells and the implications for an improved understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of the central nervous system. The chap- ters deal with the physical and pharmacological properties of calcium currents, the role of calcium in neurotransmis- sion and secretion, aspects of neuroplasticity, epilepsy, and their behavioral implications. The 60th anniversary of Hans Dieter Lux served as the occasion to gather a substantial number of his colleagues to one of the most fascinating fields in present neuroscience. We felt that this was the appropriate way to honour Hans Dieter Lux for his impor- tant contributions to our understanding of the central nerv- ous system. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Volkswagen-Stiftung, the German EEG Society, and the Max Planck Society for their support of the symposium. We also wish to express our gratitude to the following com- panies for sponsoring this volume: Fa. List Elektronik, Darmstadt; Fa. Zeiss, Oberkochen; Fa. Sandoz, Basel; Fa. Janssen, Neuss; Fa. Bayer, Leverkusen; Fa. Knoll, Ludwigs- hafen; Fa. Merck, Darmstadt. The editors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Springer-Verlag in editing this book, and the expert secre- tarial assistance of G. Trinkel, U. Roessler, and B.