Sections
Electrophysiology: Introduction | Electrophysiological Techniques | Preparations Used in Electrophysiological Research | Relationship Between Biochemical and Electrophysiological
Measures of Neuronal Activity | Summary | References
Excerpt
Several approaches can be used to analyze the
structure and function of the nervous system in health and disease. Many
of these techniques—for example, the biochemical analysis
of neurotransmitter and metabolite levels, anatomical studies of
axonal projection sites or neurotransmitter enzymes, and molecular
biological studies of messenger levels and turnover—examine
the nervous system at the level of groups or populations of neurons.
In contrast, by its very nature, electrophysiology is oriented toward
the physiological analysis of individual neurons. In this chapter,
we describe preparations and techniques that are in a general sense
applicable to many systems, with specific examples from the dopaminergic
system to draw on our field of expertise.