New Methods for Culturing Cells from Nervous Tissues

The last decades have seen the rise of neuroscience to one of the m ost dynamic biomedical disciplines. With the development of powerfu l new techniques it has been possible to investigate specific physi ological and pathological neural mechanisms and thus to elucidate t he etiology of many neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases.

This first volume of the new book series 'Biovalley Monographs' pre sents a whole range of methods developed to grow different kinds of neurons and glial cells in vitro. It is the result of a trinationa l cooperation between scientists of Neurex, the neuroscience networ k of the Upper Rhine valley. The articles are not just simple descr iptions of bench techniques but discuss the unique features of each method, its difficulties, and tricks to avoid these pitfalls.

The book covers cells growing in a dissociated state, organotypic slice s which retain the architecture of neuronal networks in vivo, as we ll as cultures on architectured substrates allowing researchers to apply geometrical constraints in order to study the role and import ance of synaptic connections more efficiently. Presenting expert guidelines to prepare, establish and maintain neu ral cell and tissue cultures, this book will be a valuable tool for all scientists and technicians interested in basic and applied res earch in neurobiology, neurology and neuropharmacology. No scientif ic library should be without it!