Synaptic Transmission

Synaptic Transmission is a comprehensive guide to the topic of neurotransmission that provides an in-depth discussion on many aspects of synapse structure and function—a fundamental part of the neuroscience discipline. Chapters include boxes that describe renowned/award-winning researchers and their contributions to the field of synaptic transmission, diseases relevant to the material presented, details of experimental approaches used to study synaptic transmission, and interesting asides that expand on topics covered. This book will inspire students to appreciate how the basic cellular and molecular biology of the synapse can lead to a better understanding of nervous system function and neurological disorders. Provides a comprehensive reference on synaptic structure, physiology, function and neurotransmission Discusses many landmark experiments in the field of synaptic transmission to emphasize core principles Includes references to primary scientific literature, relevant review articles and books, many of which could be assigned as discussion material for courses focused on this topic

This second edition volume expands on the previous edition with discussions on the latest techniques used to study synaptic transmissions. The chapters in this book are organized into six parts. Part One looks at the basic concepts, such as extracellular and intracellular recordings, and spatiotemporal effects of synaptic currents. Part Two describes the recording of synaptic currents, such as measuring kinetics of synaptic current and measuring reversal potentials. Part Three discusses basic experimentations of synaptic transmission and covers run-up and run-down, and amplitude. Parts Four and Five cover experimentations with computational components and molecular and visual components, such as measurement of a single synapse and electrophysiological and visual tags. Part Six explores in vivo recordings and talks about general considerations for in vivo exploration of synaptic plasticity. In the Neuromethods series style, chapters include the kind of detail and key advice from the specialists needed to get successful results in your laboratory. Authoritative and thorough, Electrophysiological Analysis of Synaptic Transmission, Second Edition is a valuable resource that introduces graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to important topics in this field and also expands these topics to practical electrophysiological approaches.

Like the cracking of the genetic code and the creation of the atomic bomb, the discovery of how the brain's neurons work is one of the fundamental scientific developments of the twentieth century. The discovery of neurotransmitters revolutionized the way we think about the brain and what it means to be human yet few people know how they were discovered, the scientists involved, or the fierce controversy about whether they even existed. The War of the Soups and the Sparks tells the saga of the dispute between the pharmacologists, who had uncovered the first evidence that nerves communicate by releasing chemicals, and the neurophysiologists, experts on the nervous system, who dismissed the evidence and remained committed to electrical explanations. The protagonists of this story are Otto Loewi and Henry Dale, who received Nobel Prizes for their work, and Walter Cannon, who would have shared the prize with them if he had not been persuaded to adopt a controversial theory (how that happened is an important part of this history). Valenstein sets his story of scientific discovery against the backdrop of two world wars and examines the fascinating lives of several scientists whose work was affected by the social and political events of their time. He recounts such stories as Loewi's arrest by Nazi storm troopers and Dale's efforts at helping key scientists escape Germany. The War of the Soups and the Sparks reveals how science and scientists work. Valenstein describes the observations and experiments that led to the discovery of neurotransmitters and sheds light on what determines whether a novel concept will gain acceptance among the scientific community. His work also explains the immense importance of Loewi, Dale, and Cannon's achievements in our understanding of the human brain and the way mental illnesses are conceptualized and treated.

This book provides the reader with background information on neurotransmitter release. Emphasis is placed on the rationale by which proteins are assigned specific functions rather than just providing facts about function.

Mechanisms of Synaptic Transmission

Synaptic transmission plays a central role in the nervous system as the mechanism that allows for chemical and electrical communication between cells and thus connects discrete elements into the functioning whole. This is a broad account of anatomical, biochemical, embryological, medical, pathological, pharmacological, and physiological studies on synaptic transmission during the hundred years beginning in 1890. During this century, the process of synaptic transmission came to be recognized not only as the most fundamental neurophysiological process, but also as a seat of pathological changes, and as the predominant site of action for drugs used to treat a wide range of psychiatric and neurological disorders. At the same time, research from these various disciplines was transformed into a new and unifying field, neuroscience. The course of these investigations reveals ingenious experiments, powerful new techniques, and imaginative insights. The author describes broadly who did what, when, where, and how (and, in cases where it is apparent, why) and uses experimental results and interpretations to display the evolutionary course to our current understanding of how nerve cells communicate: the basic principle of neural functioning. The book will be of interest to basic and clinical neuroscientists, pharmacologists, and physiologists, to historians and philosophers of the life sciences and medicine, and to their respective students.

Glutamate is the most pervasive neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). Despite this fact, no validated biological markers, or biomarkers, currently exist for measuring glutamate pathology in CNS disorders or injuries. Glutamate dysfunction has been associated with an extensive range of nervous system diseases and disorders. Problems with how the neurotransmitter glutamate functions in the brain have been linked to a wide variety of disorders, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, substance abuse, and traumatic brain injury. These conditions are widespread, affecting a large portion of the United States population, and remain difficult to treat. Efforts to understand, treat, and prevent glutamate-related disorders can be aided by the identification of valid biomarkers. The Institute of Medicine's Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders held a workshop on June 21-22, 2010, to explore ways to accelerate the development, validation, and implementation of such biomarkers. Glutamate-Related Biomarkers in Drug Development for Disorders of the Nervous System: Workshop Summary investigates promising current and emerging technologies, and outlines strategies to procure resources and tools to advance drug development for associated nervous system disorders. Moreover, this report highlights presentations by expert panelists, and the open panel discussions that occurred during the workshop.

This book, which originated in the presentations of a symposium sponsored by the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, held in Mexico City on April 14-16, 1980, represents an attempt to analyze some of the most relevant aspects of synaptic transmission. This topic was chosen on the strong belief that the progress of the neurosciences depends to a great extent on the understanding of the basic mechanisms of synaptic function. Rather than selecting only a specific approach or speciality, the book intends to cover this field in a multi disciplinary way. This means that neurochemical, neurophysiological and morphological studies are mingled throughout the book, which hopefully will help the reader to integrate the different faces of the same problem. Across the book the presynaptic component of synaptic transmission and its regulation is stressed much more than the postsynaptic phenomena. Although this might be a limitation, it has the advantage of increasing the focus of the book on a series of events which are gaining importance and interest every day.