Basic Molecular Protocols In Neuroscience

Basic Neuroscience Protocols: Tips, Tricks, and Pitfalls contains explanatory sections that describe the techniques and what each technique really tells the researcher on a scientific level. These explanations describe relevant controls, troubleshooting, and reaction components for some of the most widely used neuroscience protocols that remain difficult for many neuroscientists to implement successfully. Having this additional information will help researchers ensure that their experiments work the first time, and will also minimize the time spent working on a technique only to discover that the problem was them, and not their materials. Describes techniques in very specific detail with step-by-step instructions, giving researchers in-depth understanding Offers many details not present in other protocol books Describes relevant controls for each technique and what those controls mean Chapters include references (key articles, books, protocols) for additional study Describes both the techniques and the habits necessary to get quality results, such as aseptic technique, aliquoting, and general laboratory rules

There are numerous books on cellular and molecular protocols for general use in cell biology but very few are exclusively devoted to neurobiology. This book fills this gap and explains in a clear and consistent manner, some of the more commonly used protocols in neuroscience research. Each chapter is written by either the person who invented the procedure or an expert in the field. The format is uniform: "Overview," "Background," "Protocols," and "results and discussion." Each protocol begins with the principle of the technique, studies in cell culture, materials and reagents, and, lastly, step-by-step outline of the procedure itself. This highly practical book is also well illustrated (with 17 four color plates) to make the concepts and procedures easy to understand and perform.

Neurobiologists are bound to differ in their perceptions of what the discipline of molecular neurobiology should encompass. We have taken the view that molecular neurobiology should cover any aspect of brain science that uses the techniques of modern molecular biology, though we accept the fact that classification of a technique as a "biochemical* or "molecular biological* one is in itself somewhat arbitrary. Each chapter of this volume sets out to identify a clear problem in neurobiology and to place it in its context within the literatu- i.e., indicating how the solution of the problem will advance knowledge in the field. The core of the chapter then details the approaches taken to solve the problem, in sufficient detail that the reader can appre- ate exactly why a specific strategy was adopted and how it was executed. Each chapter also includes detailed protocols providing all the inf- mation necessary to reproduce the technique and its results in any appropriately equipped laboratory.

Neurobiologists are bound to differ in their perceptions of what the discipline of molecular neurobiology should encompass. We have taken the view that molecular neurobiology should cover any aspect of brain science that uses the techniques of modern molecular biology, though we accept the fact that classification of a technique as a "biochemical* or "molecular biological* one is in itself somewhat arbitrary. Each chapter of this volume sets out to identify a clear problem in neurobiology and to place it in its context within the literatu- i.e., indicating how the solution of the problem will advance knowledge in the field. The core of the chapter then details the approaches taken to solve the problem, in sufficient detail that the reader can appre- ate exactly why a specific strategy was adopted and how it was executed. Each chapter also includes detailed protocols providing all the inf- mation necessary to reproduce the technique and its results in any appropriately equipped laboratory.

Current Protocols in Neuroscience (CPN) draws from techniques in molecular neurobiology, neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, and behavioral neuroscience to meet the specific needs of researchers in the full range of disciplines that is involved in studying the brain, nervous system, and corresponding behaviors. The editorial board of CPN have assembled an outstanding range of methods to enable users to explore their fields in greater depth and branch into related areas. The one-volume, looseleaf manual features carefully edited techniques with authors' troubleshooting tips and helpful comments that come from extensive experience in using these procedures. Quarterly updates, filed into the looseleaf, keep you and your laboratory current with the latest developments in this rapidly changing field. The initial purchase includes one year of updates and then subscribers may renew their annual subscriptions. Current Protocols publishes a family of laboratory manuals for bioscientists, including Molecular Biology, Immunology, Human Genetics, Protein Science, Cytometry, Cell Biology, Pharmacology, and Toxicology.

Ranaviruses and other viruses within the family Iridoviridae, infect a wide range of ecologically and commercially important ectothermic vertebrates, i.e., bony fish, amphibians, and reptiles, and invertebrates, including agricultural and medical pests and cultured shrimp and crayfish, and are responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. Understanding the impact of these various agents on diverse host species requires the combined efforts of ecologists, veterinarians, pathologists, comparative immunologists and molecular virologists. Unfortunately, investigators involved in these studies often work in discipline-specific silos that preclude interaction with others whose insights and approaches are required to comprehensively address problems related to ranavirus/iridovirus disease. Our intent here is to breakdown these silos and provide a forum where diverse researchers with a common interest in ranavirus/iridovirus biology can profitably interact. As a colleague once quipped, “Three people make a genius.” We are hoping to do something along those lines by presenting a collection of research articles dealing with issues of anti-viral immunity, identification of a potentially novel viral genus exemplified by erythrocytic necrosis virus, viral inhibition of innate immunity, identification of novel hosts for lymphocystivirus and invertebrate iridoviruses, and modelling studies of ranavirus transmission. Collectively these and others will exemplify the breadth of ongoing studies focused on this virus family.

Providing widely used techniques in genetic model systems and many complementing animal models, Brain Development: Methods and Protocols focuses its expert contributions on two key technical aspects of developmental neurobiology: detection of gene expression and functional characterization of developmental control genes. Covering animal models such as the fruit fly, zebra fish, chicken, and mouse, this detailed book views in situ hybridization, reporter gene expression, and immunohistochemical staining methods, as well as RNA interference, Morpholino, or transgenic techniques through the prism of these models. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapter include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Practical and cutting-edge, Brain Development: Methods and Protocols aims to provide precise technical protocols but also allows for comparing a wide range of protocols in different tissues and species.