Basic Electrophysiological Methods

A broad, concise, and no-nonsense guide to contemporary electrophysiological techniques, covering intracellular and extracellular recording through recording of population activity, neuropharmacology, dye imaging, voltammetry, and optogenetics.

Introduction to Electrophysiological Methods and Instrumentation, Second Edition covers all topics of interest to electrophysiologists, neuroscientists and neurophysiologists, from the reliable penetration of cells and the behavior and function of the equipment, to the mathematical tools available for analyzing data. It discusses the pros and cons of techniques and methods used in electrophysiology and how to avoid pitfalls. Although the basics of electrophysiological techniques remain the principal purpose of this second edition, it now integrates several current developments, including, amongst others, automated recording for high throughput screening and multimodal recordings to correlate electrical activity with other physiological parameters collected by optical means. This book provides the electrophysiologist with the tools needed to understand his or her equipment and how to acquire and analyze low-voltage biological signals. Introduces possibilities and solutions, along with the problems, pitfalls, and artefacts of equipment and electrodes Discusses the particulars of recording from brain tissue slices, oocytes and planar bilayers Describes optical methods pertinent to electrophysiological practice Presents the fundamentals of signal processing of analogue signals, spike trains and single channel recordings, along with procedures for signal recording and processing Includes appendices on electrical safety and foundations of useful mathematical tools

This updated and revised textbook presents a broad overview on topics concerning cellular electrophysiology – ranging from bioelectric phenomena recognized as far back as ancient Egypt to popular topics on the dangers of electrosmog. Without sacrificing scientific precision, this clear and concise work presents on the one hand the different methods and modern applications, on the other hand the biophysical fundamentals of ion-channel and carrier proteins. Numerous and carefully selected illustrations and diagrams supplement the text. Each chapter is extended by a detailed table of Take-Home Messages. Questions at the end of each chapter allow readers to test their understanding. Each section also includes references to relevant original literature for further reading. The book offers a valuable resource for students of biology, chemistry and physics with a special interest in biophysics.

This textbook presents a broad overview of topics concerning cellular electrophysiology – covering topics ranging from bioelectric phenomena recognized as far back as ancient Egypt to popular topics on the dangers of electrosmog. Without sacrificing scientific precision, this clear and concise work presents on the one hand the different methods and applications, on the other hand the biophysical fundamentals of ion-channel and carrier proteins. Numerous and carefully selected illustrations and diagrams supplement the text, while questions at the end of each chapter allow readers to test their understanding. Each section also includes references to relevant original literature for further reading. The book offers a valuable resource for students of biology, chemistry and physics with a special interest in biophysics.

Applying neurophysiological methods to the study of brain-behavior relationships proved to be a major advance in the early days of neuroscience research. Considerable technological progress has been made very recently, and the impact on modern neuroscience will be invaluable. In Electrophysiological Recording Techniques, experts in the field present a current view of the widespread application of electrophysiological methods to the study of the brain and to the problem of brain-behavior relationships. The book has been organized to display the range of modern neurophysiological methods ranging from the recordings of single neurons and neuronal ensembles to recordings of field potentials within discrete brain regions and across multiple brain areas. Many of the chapters also address the major challenge of applying the appropriate methods to analyze and interpret neurophysiological recording data. As a volume in the popular Neuromethods series, the chapters provide authoritative reviews of many commonly used approaches in the field today in both the basic research level and in clinical settings. Practical and up-to-date, Electrophysiological Recording Techniques serves as a key reference volume for researchers working in this ever-changing and vital field.

Electrophysiological Methods in Biological Research, Third Revised Edition describes the principles and applications of significant electrophysiological methods as regards to transistorisation of electrophysiological apparatus and to the mathematical analysis of electrophysiological data. The book explains the aspects of physics and electronics that are important in electrophysiology, such as the basic principles of semiconductor function, electronic simulators, electrodes, and the processing of electrophysiological data. The text also cites several examples that measure the resulting membrane potential if one electrode is inside the cell while the other is in contact with the cell's surface. Other experiments show the electrophysiological techniques and the fundamentals of electrical activity in the peripheral excitable structures, and its association with physiological functions. In considering the problems of nerve and muscle physiology, the investigator should know the technique of recording the electrical signs of a nerve impulse. These signs, or action potentials, indicate the presence of a nerve impulse. The text also discusses the effects of barbiturates or ether anesthesia in EEG activity, as well as its dissociation after physostigmine and atropine have been administered. The book can prove useful for pharmacologists, microchemists, cellular biologists, and research workers and technologists dealing with neural mechanisms.

Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in the Western Hemisphere. While significant progress has been made in treating a major sub-category of cardiac disease, arrhythmias, significant unmet needs remain. In particular, every day, thousands of patients die because of arrhythmias in the US alone, and atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia affecting millions of patients in the US alone at a given time. Therefore, there is a public need to continue to develop new and better therapies for arrhythmias. Accordingly, an ever increasing number of biomedical, pharmaceutical, and medical personnel is interested in studying various aspects of arrhythmias at a basic, translational, and applied level, both in industry (ie Biotech, Pharmaceutical and device), and in academia. Not only has our overall understanding of molecular bases of disease dramatically increased, but so has the number of available and emerging molecular, pharmacological or device treatment based therapies. This practical, state-of-the art handbook will summarize and review key research methods and protocols, their advantages and pitfalls, with a focus on practical implementation, and collaborative cross-functional research. The volume will include visual and easy-to-use graphics, bulleted summaries, boxed summary paragraphs, links to reference websites, equipment manufacturers where appropriate, photographs of typical experimental setups and so forth, to keep this book very focused on practical methods and implementation, and yet, provide enough theory that the principles are clearly understood and can be easily applied.

The latest information and methodologies for studying the activity of living nervous tissue, with special emphasis on electrophysiological techniques and their applications, ranging from ion channels to human behavior.