Guide to Research Techniques in Neuroscience

Neuroscience is, by definition, a multidisciplinary field: some scientists study genes and proteins at the molecular level while others study neural circuitry using electrophysiology and high-resolution optics. A single topic can be studied using techniques from genetics, imaging, biochemistry, or electrophysiology. Therefore, it can be daunting for young scientists or anyone new to neuroscience to learn how to read the primary literature and develop their own experiments.

This volume addresses that gap, gathering multidisciplinary knowledge and providing tools for understanding the neuroscience techniques that are essential to the field, and allowing the reader to design experiments in a variety of neuroscience disciplines.

• Written to provide a "hands-on" approach for graduate students, postdocs, or anyone new to the neurosciences
• Techniques within one field are compared, allowing readers to select the best techniques for their own work
• Includes key articles, books, and protocols for additional detailed study
• Data analysis boxes in each chapter help with data interpretation and offer guidelines on how best to represent results
• Walk-through boxes guide readers step-by-step through experiments

Matt Carter is an Associate Professor of Biology at Williams College where he teaches courses in neuroscience and physiology. His research program focuses on how the brain regulates food intake and sleep and is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation. In addition to primary scientific publications, he is also the author of Designing Science Presentations (Academic Press). He is a recipient of the Walter Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching from Stanford University and the Nelson Bushnell Prize for Excellence in Teaching and Writing from Williams College.

Jennifer C. Shieh, PhD, is currently Program Director and SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) Coordinator at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the NIH. She co-authored the first edition of this book (Elsevier, 2009), and was awarded the Hans-Lukas Teuber Award for Outstanding Research and Academics in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences Award for Outstanding Scholarship and BCS Contributions.