GABA is the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS and acts via GABAA and GABAB receptors. Recently, a novel form of GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition, termed “tonic” inhibition, has been described. Whereas synaptic GABAA receptors underlie classical “phasic” GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition (inhibitory postsynaptic currents), tonic GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition results from the activation of extrasynaptic receptors by low concentrations of ambient GABA. Extrasynaptic GABAA receptors are composed of receptor subunits that convey biophysical properties ideally suited to the generation of persistent inhibition and are pharmacologically and functionally distinct from their synaptic counterparts. This book highlights ongoing work examining the properties of recombinant and native extrasynaptic GABAA receptors and their preferential targeting by endogenous and clinically relevant agents. In addition, it emphasizes the important role of extrasynaptic GABAA receptors in GABAergic inhibition throughout the CNS and identifies them as a major player in both physiological and pathophysiological processes.

A do-it-yourself manual for culturing nerve cells, complete with recipes and protocols.

Jasper's Basic Mechanisms, Fourth Edition, is the newest most ambitious and now clinically relevant publishing project to build on the four-decade legacy of the Jasper's series. In keeping with the original goal of searching for "a better understanding of the epilepsies and rational methods of prevention and treatment.", the book represents an encyclopedic compendium neurobiological mechanisms of seizures, epileptogenesis, epilepsy genetics and comordid conditions. Of practical importance to the clinician, and new to this edition are disease mechanisms of genetic epilepsies and therapeutic approaches, ranging from novel antiepileptic drug targets to cell and gene therapies.

Epilepsy research has entered an exciting phase as advances in molecular analysis have supplemented in vitro and in vivo electrophysiologic and phenotypic characterization. Recent Advances in Epilepsy Research sets forth a series of chapter reviews by researchers involved in these advances. This volume is a composite profile of some exciting recent investigations in select areas of enquiry. Key features: neurogenetics of seizure disorders, new developments in cellular and molecular neurobiology of seizure disorders, the role of growth factors in seizures, new advances in the roles of metabotropic glutamate receptors and GABA receptors and transporters, gap junctions, neuroimmunology of epilepsy, malformations of cortical development, neurogenesis, new animal models of epilepsy and the use of brain stimulation to treat epilepsy. This book should be of interest to a wide variety of audiences, including graduate students in neurobiology and related disciplines, neuroscientists, medical students, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and industry including pharmaceutical companies and medical device companies. There are many ideas in this book that will lead ingenious innovators in academia and industry to develop new and better therapies.

This book collates the contributions of a selected number of neuroscientists that are interested in the molecular, preclinical, and clinical aspects of neurotransmission research. The seven chapters in this book address the latest research/review data related to GABA/glutamate system's organization and function, the structure of receptors, subtypes and their ligands, as well as the translational approach and clinical implications. The book offers readers a rich collection of data regarding current and future applications of GABA and glutamate neurotransmission, including promising research strategies and potential clinical benefits.

This volume provides a history of and an update on the functional status of the NMDA receptors. The NMDA receptors are essential for neuronal development, synaptic plasticity, learning, and cell survival. It covers molecular, cellular, anatomical, biochemical, and behavioral aspects, to highlight their distinctive regulatory properties, their functional significance, and their therapeutic potential in a number of diseases. A group of international experts discuss the development of NMDA receptors, their basic functions, and how they are implicated in a wide range of diseases including depression, psychosis, and pain.

The hippocampus is one of a group of remarkable structures embedded within the brain's medial temporal lobe. Long known to be important for memory, it has been a prime focus of neuroscience research for many years. The Hippocampus Book promises to facilitate developments in the field in a major way by bringing together, for the first time, contributions by leading international scientists knowledgeable about hippocampal anatomy, physiology, and function. This authoritative volume offers the most comprehensive, up-to-date account of what the hippocampus does, how it does it, and what happens when things go wrong. At the same time, it illustrates how research focusing on this single brain structure has revealed principles of wider generality for the whole brain in relation to anatomical connectivity, synaptic plasticity, cognition and behavior, and computational algorithms. Well-organized in its presentation of both theory and experimental data, this peerless work vividly illustrates the astonishing progress that has been made in unraveling the workings of the brain. The Hippocampus Book is destined to take a central place on every neuroscientist's bookshelf.