Main description:

Thanks to tremendous technical advances in molecular biology and cellular imaging after those in electrophysiology, there is now a deep understanding of the physiology of nerve cells and their synaptic interconnections. The complexity of the brain emerges from the communication and interaction between billions of these elements. This book explores systematically and didactically the details of neuronal physiology, covering membrane biophysics, receptor physiology, sensory transduction and synaptic transmission with its selective pharmacology. Readers of the book will be fully equipped to understand the functions and possibilities of the key units of the brain's parallel computations.

Contents:

Signaling in the Brain: An Introductory. ION MOVEMENT IN THE CELL. Resting Membrane Potential. Ion Gradient Maintenance: Ion Transporters. Voltage-Gated Channels. The Sodium Action Potential. FAST AND SLOW NEURONAL SIGNALING. Fast Synaptic Transmission: Nicotinic and GABAergic Transmissions. G-Protein-Coupled Receptors and Signaling Cascades. Transduction in Sensory Cells: Fast or Slow Signaling. Structural and Functional Properties of Ionotropic and Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors. SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION. Neurotransmitter Release. Ion-Coupled Neurotransmitter Transporters. Synaptic Integration. Synaptic Plasticity. METHODS. Studying Neurons at Work. Software Resources for Neuroscience Research.