Until very recently most experimental studies on brain chemistry were conducted with postmortem tissue. However, because of shortcomings with postmortem methods and also the desire to directly relate neurochemistry to behavior, there has been a rapid growth of interest towards in vivo neurochemical methods. The recent availability of small diameter hollow dialysis fibres and very sensitive analytical techniques has made microdialysis practical for the routine measurement of many endogenous neurochemicals in vivo. With its adoption in the neurosciences as the preferred technique for in vivo sampling, microdialysis techniques provide the focus for this present volume. This book provides a single reference source for detailed methodological information on the conduct of microdialysis experiments for studying neurotransmitter dynamics in vivo. The emphasis is on practical considerations, and contributors have been encouraged to share their “tricks of the trade? to help other researchers quickly and easily adopt these methodologies in their own laboratories. A comprehensive overview of developments in microdialysis technology and allied analytical techniques is provided, both thought-provoking to experienced researchers, as well as a valuable aid to novices establishing these techniques for themselves.

Table of Contents:
Preface. List of Contributors. SECTION I: Introduction to Microdialysis. Introduction to intracerebral microdialysis (U. Ungerstedt). Microdialysis compared with other in vivo release models (B.H.C. Westerink, J.B. Justice, Jr.). SECTION II: Issues of Quantification. Quantitative microdialysis (P.F. Morrison et al.). Practical aspects of using microdialysis for determination of brain interstitial concentrations (H. Benveniste, A.J. Hansen). SECTION III: Methodological Considerations. Microdialysis and liquid chromatography (P.T. Kissinger). Procedures for microdialysis with smallbore HPLC (H.O. Pettit, J.B. Justice, Jr.). The use of microdialysis in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (L. Ståhle). Brain dialysis of monoamines (G. Di Chiara). The feasibility of repeated microdialysis for within-subjects design experiments: studies on the mesostriatal dopamine system (T.E. Robinson, D.M. Camp). SECTION IV: The Application of Microdialysis in the Basic Neurosciences. A microdialysis and automated on-line analysis approach to study central cholinergic transmission in vivo (G. Damsma, B.H.C. Westerink). Monitoring extracellular norepinephrine in brain using in vivo microdialysis and HPLC-EC (E.D. Abercrombie, J.M. Finlay). Measurement of extracellular neuropeptides in the brain: microdialysis linked to solid phase radioimmunoassays with subfemtomole limits of detection (N.T. Maidment, C.J. Evans). Microdialysis for the study of hypothalamic and pituitary function (J.E. Levine et al). Microdialysis in large unrestrained animals: neuroendocrine and behavioral studies of acetylcholine, amino acid, monoamine and neuropeptide release in the sheep (K.M. Kendrick). On-line real-time monitoring of extracellular lactate, ethanol, glucose and choline using microdialysis and enzyme reactors (J. Korf et al.). Application of microdialysis to the study of motivation and conditioning: measurements of dopamine and serotonin in freely behaving rats (G.P. Mark et al). SECTION V: The Application of Microdialysis in the Clinical Neurosciences. Microdialysis for metabolic monitoring in cerebral ischemia and trauma: experimental and clinical studies (L. Hillered, L. Persson). Microdialysis techniques for studying brain amino acids in the extracellular fluid: basic and clinical studies (A. Hamberger et al.). In vivo neurochemistry of the conscious human brain: intrahippocampal microdialysis in epilepsy (M.J. During). Subject Index.