This outstanding volume on the evolution and development of neural circuits explores how brains are built, diversified, and adapted in a variety of species, integrating perspectives from evolutionary biology, developmental neuroscience, and systems neurobiology. Recent advances in molecular genetics, neuroanatomy, physiology, imaging, and computational modeling have enabled unprecedented insights into the mechanisms that shape neural circuits.

Key themes explored in the book include:

• The evolutionary divergence and convergence of circuit motifs
• The conserved molecular and developmental building blocks that underlie connectivity
• The selective pressures that sculpt neural systems to support behavior and cognition

Chapters cover topics ranging from retinal mapping and interneuron diversity to thalamocortical connectivity, prefrontal circuit maturation, and the computational modeling of both normal and abnormal circuit development. Collectively, these essays reveal how molecular signaling, cellular variability, and theoretical principles converge to shape the formation and function of circuits across vertebrate and invertebrate brains.

By combining evolutionary and developmental frameworks, this volume offers both specialists and newcomers a broad and integrative view of how neural circuits emerge and operate, providing a resource for neuroscientists at every level of training who seek to understand the principles of brain design.