Introduction to Electrophysiological Methods and Instrumentation
 
Franklin Bretschneider
Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Jan R. de Weille
Institut des Neurosciences de Montpellier, Hôpital Saint Eloi, Montpellier, France

'Introduction to Electrophysiological Methods and Instrumentation' covers all topics of interest to electrophysiologists in all fields, from the reliable penetration of cells, the behaviour and function of the equipment, to the mathematical tools available for analysing data. It discusses the pros and cons of techniques and methods used in electrophysiology and how to avoid their pitfalls.
Particularly in an era where high quality off-the-shelf solutions are readily available, it is important for the electrophysiologist to understand how his or her equipment manages the acquisitions and analysis of low voltage biological signals. 'Introduction to electrophysiological methods and instrumentation' addresses this need. The book presents the basics of the passive and active electronic components and circuitry used in apparatuses such as (voltage-clamp) amplifiers, addressing the strong points of modern semiconductors as well as the limitations inherent to even the highest-tech equipment. It concisely describes the theoretical background of the biological phenomena. The vast terrain of signal analysis is dealt with in a way that is valuable to both the uninitiated and the expert. For example, the utility of convolutions and (Fourier, Pascal) transformations in signal detection, conditioning and analysis is presented both in an easy to grasp graphical form as well as in a more rigorous mathematical way.

• A one-stop source for practical information on electrophysiology equipment
• Introduces possibilities and solutions, along with the problems, pitfalls, and artifacts of equipment and electrodes
• Presents the fundamentals of signal processing of analog signals, spike trains and single channel recordings as well as procedures for signal recording and processing
• Includes appendices on electrical safety, on the use of CRT monitors in research and foundations of some of the mathematical tools used
• Gives lists of symbols used in science, in circuit diagrams and electrophysiological set-ups
• Comprehensibly presents the calculation of single-channel dwell-time histograms from rate constants