The Physiology of Synapses covers the considerable advances in understanding the complex physiology of synapses. This book is divided into 16 chapters that emphasize the mechanism of synaptic transmission. The first chapters describe the structural and physiological features of chemically transmitting synapses. The subsequent chapters deal with the excitatory postsynaptic responses to presynaptic impulse and the release of transmitter by presynaptic impulses. These topics are followed by discussions of the impulse generation by the excitatory postsynaptic potential; the postsynaptic electrical events produced by chemically transmitting inhibitory synapses; the ionic mechanism generating the inhibitory postsynaptic potential. The last chapters consider the mechanism of inhibitory transmitter substances, pathways responsible for postsynaptic inhibitory action, and the trophic and plastic properties of synapses. This book will prove useful to physiologists, neurologists, and researchers.

I must thank my friend, Professor HANS WEBER, for being, as it were, the prime mover in causing this book to be written. He persuaded me in 1960 to contribute a review to the Ergebnisse der Physiologie. As originally planned, it was to be relatively short. However, the interest and scope of the whole subject of synapses stimulated me to write a much more comprehensive and extensive account. I was not even then satisfied, particularly as so many new and attractive investigations and ideas were being evolved during and after the writing of this review; and during the writing of this book most interesting developments are occurring in so many centres of research. Through the kind cooperation of my friends I have been given the opportunity to quote and even to illustrate from these new and fascinating developments before their final publication. There would be some justification if the author were to make the claim that this book is the fruit of a life-time of enquiry into the physiology of synapses. In 1927 the subject of Excitatory and Inhibitory Synapses was chosen for investigation in the course leading to the Oxford D. Phil. But there have been such remarkable developments during the last 12 years that in this book very little reference will be made to work earlier than 1951 except in the historical introductions.

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.

Synaptic Transmission is a comprehensive guide to the topic of neurotransmission that provides an in-depth discussion on many aspects of synapse structure and function—a fundamental part of the neuroscience discipline. Chapters include boxes that describe renowned/award-winning researchers and their contributions to the field of synaptic transmission, diseases relevant to the material presented, details of experimental approaches used to study synaptic transmission, and interesting asides that expand on topics covered. This book will inspire students to appreciate how the basic cellular and molecular biology of the synapse can lead to a better understanding of nervous system function and neurological disorders. Provides a comprehensive reference on synaptic structure, physiology, function and neurotransmission Discusses many landmark experiments in the field of synaptic transmission to emphasize core principles Includes references to primary scientific literature, relevant review articles and books, many of which could be assigned as discussion material for courses focused on this topic

Easily understood, up-to-date and clinically relevant, this book provides junior anaesthetists with an essential physiology resource.