In little less than a decade brain slices have gained prominence among neurobiologists as appropriate tools to study cellular electrophysiolog ical aspects of mammalian brain function. The purpose of this volume is to present in some detail several inquiries in the brain sciences that have benefited greatly by the use of brain slices. The book is directed primarily toward advanced students and researchers wishing to evaluate the impact these in vitro preparations of the mammalian brain are having on neurobiology. The term brain slice has come to refer to thin (100-700 j. Lm) sections of a brain region prepared from adult mammals and maintained for many hours in vitro, for either electrophysiological or biochemical stud ies. In addition to good accessibility, slices feature relatively intact syn aptic connections that allow a variety of experiments not feasible with standard in vivo or tissue culture preparations. Certain electrophysiol ogical studies once practical only with invertebrate models are becoming routine with mammalian brain slices. The ability to perform both bio chemical and electro physiological experiments on the same piece of CNS tissue provides additional bright prospects for future research. Although most of the electrophysiological studies have dealt with hippocampal slices, it should be evident from this book that slice methodology is not limited to the hippocampus. The Appendix, "Brain Slice Methods," is a multiauthored treatment of the technical aspects of brain slice work, collected into one document.

Brain Slices in Basic and Clinical Research describes advancements in the field of brain function and dysfunction through use of central nervous system slice preparations. Topics are authored by leading scientists and include the following: Mechanisms of synaptic plasticity as the basis of memory processes Chaos and synaptic variability Brain calcium currents Glutamate receptors Pathophysiology of excitotoxins Cerebral hypoxia-ischemia Neuronal injury Free radicals Optical methods of measuring brain metabolism Voltammetry in brain slices Calcium imaging Patch-clamp recording and application of macromolecules through patch-clamp pipettes in brain slices Intracellular double labeling of various neuronal populations Use of brain slices in teaching neurophysiological methods Most of the topics are published in book format for the first time, and some of the techniques are more fully detailed than in any other book.

Connecting in vitro and in vivo studies of the mammalian brain.

Since the first implant of a carbon microelectrode in a rat 35 years ago, there have been substantial advances in the sensitivity, selectivity and temporal resolution of electrochemical techniques. Today, these methods provide neurochemical information that is not accessible by other means. The growing recognition of the versatility of electrochemi

The Brain Atlas: A Visual Guide to the Human Central Nervous System integrates modern neuroscience with clinical practice and is now significantly revised and updated for a Fourth Edition. The book's five sections cover: Background Information, The Brain and Its Blood Vessels, Brain Slices, Histological Sections, and Pathways. These are depicted in over 350 high quality intricate figures making it the best available visual guide to human neuroanatomy.