© 1997 • 420 pp., illus., appendices, index
Concealed wire binding • ISBN  0-87969-455-6

Discovering Neurons is a collection of investigative laboratory experiments designed for the advanced undergraduate and the first or second year graduate student. In its three major sections, neurons are studied as:

• individual cells, including topics such as intracellular recording, immunocytochemistry and HPLC
• forming connections, with experiments on tract tracing, information coding and LTP, among others
• as coordinators of behavior, through approaches such as pharmacology, lesioning and ethology.

The fourth section focuses on techniques applicable to several experiments in the collection, including electrophysiology recording, surgery, anesthetics and staining methods.

The experiments introduce students to the techniques used in today's leading neuroscience research labs. They have been thoroughly tested in the student laboratory and are written and designed to be easily integrated into existing neuroscience courses of any length or emphasis. This is a unique volume that is an important resource for all teachers of neuroscience.

Introduction

SECTION 1

Neurons as Cells

Laboratory 1

Studying the Neuron Using Intracellular Recording: The Action Potential and Neuronal Anatomy

Laboratory 2

An Introduction to Neurochemistry: Acetylcholinesterase Assay

Laboratory 3

Immunocytochemical Localization of Neuronal Transmitters: Two Methods for Identifying Neurotransmitters In Situ

Laboratory 4

Pharmacological Manipulation of Catecholamine Neurochemical Levels: An Analysis Using HPLC

Laboratory 5

Ca-activated Chloride Conductance in Xenopus Oocytes: Introduction to Methods of Molecular Neurobiology

SECTION 2

Neurons Forming Connections

Laboratory 1

Synaptic Transmission and Synaptic Plasticity: The Neuromuscular Junction of the Crayfish

Laboratory 2

Tracing Neural Connections: Thalamo-cortical Interconnections in the Mammalian Somatosensory System

Laboratory 3

Information Coding and Receptive Fields: Properties of Mammalia Neurons Recorded in Rat Thalamus

Laboratory 4

Field Potential Recording in the Hippocampal Slice

Laboratory 5

Long-term Potentiation: Stimulating and Recording in the Hippocampus of an Anesthetized Rat

SECTION 3

Neurons Coordinating Behavior

Laboratory 1

Observational Methods Used to Assess Behavior

Laboratory 2

Neuropharmacology: Comparison of Behavioral Response in Infant and Adult Rats after Drug Administration

Laboratory 3

Chronic Recording from Rat Brain: Hippocampal Theta Rhythm

Laboratory 4

Effects of Lesion on Spatial and Nonspatial Learning

Laboratory 5

Control of the Ovulatory Cycle and Sexual Behavior in the Syrian Hamster

SECTION 4

Techniques

Protocol 1

Using Electrophysiological Equipment

Protocol 2

Surgery Procedures

Protocol 3

Perfusion and Sectioning

Protocol 4

Staining: Golgi, Nissl, Acethycholinesterase, and Choline Acetyltransferase

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Sources of Equipment

Appendix 2: Addresses of Suppliers

Appendix 3: Use of Animals in Experiments