Adrian C. Michael - Böcker

Since the first implant of a carbon microelectrode in a rat 35 years ago, there have been substantial advances in the sensitivity, selectivity and temporal resolution of electrochemical techniques. Today, these methods provide neurochemical information that is not accessible by other means. The growing recognition of the versatility of electrochemical techniques indicates a need for a greater understanding of the scientific foundation and use of these powerful tools.Electrochemical Methods for Neuroscience provides an updated summary of the current, albeit evolving, state of the art and lays the scientific foundation for incorporating electrochemical techniques into on-going or newly emerging research programs in the neuroscience disciplines. With contributions from pioneers in the field, the text outlines the applications and benefits of a wide range of electrochemical techniques. It explores the methodology behind the acquisition of neurochemical and neurobiological data through continuous amperometry, fast scan cyclic voltammetry, high-speed chronoamperometry, ion-selective microelectrodes, enzyme based microelectrodes, and in vivo voltammetry with telemetry. The text also introduces emerging concepts in the field such as the correlation of electrochemical recordings with information obtained from patch clamp, electrophysiological, and behavioral techniques.By presenting up-to-date information on the growing collection of electrochemical methods, microsensors, and research techniques, Electrochemical Methods for Neuroscience assists seasoned researchers and newcomers to the field in making sound decisions about adopting the most appropriate of these tools for their future research objectives.

This book is the third in a series entitled, Compendium of In-Vivo Monitoring in Real-time Molecular Neuroscience. Its purpose is to provide a cross-section of research addressing monitoring in the rodent, and in some cases, the human brain.Detailed understanding of the neurobiology of the brain is demanding and involves increasingly wider scope of talent ranging from physicists, neurobiologists, chemists, molecular biologists and bioengineers. Coming from varied backgrounds, they do not necessarily understand how to formulate functional issues in a mutually understandable way. This aim of this book is to provide information which can serve as a starting point for understanding such a complex topic.The authors provide "tutorial" writing for specialists, as well as material understandable to a wide audience including neuroscientists, those interested in drug discovery, and those using such measurements for diagnosis purposes.

This new volume documents the transition from the development of electrochemical monitoring of brain function, now more than 40 years old, to fundamental neuroscience. This includes the links of molecular neuroscience to biobehavior, to a molecular understanding of neurologically-linked diseases and to the investigation of neuroactive molecules made possible by new detection methodology. This work should be of interest to a broad audience, especially those who are engaged in neuroscience research, for example in drug discovery, but are not familiar with electrochemical methodology.

Volume 1 of this series focused mainly on small molecules which are intrinsically electroactive. Volume 2 continues to provide current approaches to real time measurements of essential species in the central nervous system. It describes microdialysis, a sampling technique, which facilitates the removal of small volumes of solution containing the analyte(s) of interest which can be subsequently separated by chromatography and analyzed by a range of techniques. These include electrochemistry, UV-Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence and mass spectroscopy. This approach affords the opportunity to measure a range of targets in real-time thus providing access to pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics measurements affording the possibility of measuring the disappearance of a drug after administration and the subsequent appearance of metabolites. Microdialysis further affords the ability to sample peptides and proteins of neurobiological interest.Consistent with the goals of Volume 1, Volume 2 seeks to provide for scientists in the field of neurobiology a base of bioanalytical techniques that may not be familiar to them. Specific examples are provided and the fundamental basis of the technique is also covered.