Title: In vivo microdialysis of neurotransmitters and their metabolites
Abstract: This chapter focuses on in vivo microdialysis of neurotransmitters and their metabolites. In microdialysis, a thin dialysis tube, 0.2–0.5 mm in diameter, is implanted in a specific region of the brain, and the extracellular fluid and the perfusate are separated by a semipermeable membrane. This results in diffusion of low molecular weight materials below the molecular weight cut-off of the semipermeable membrane from the extracellular fluid to the perfusate or vice-versa along the concentration gradient. The chapter discusses microdialysis probe, instruments for microdialysis, and biochemical assay of neurotransmitters in the dialysate. The extracellular concentration of a given neurotransmitter in a specific brain region can be determined by microdialysis. However, samples collected by microdialysis are not derived directly from the extracellular space, so the concentration of the substance in the dialysate only partially reflects its true concentration in the extracellular fluid. The chapter presents several important criterions to determine whether the neurotransmitters collected in the dialysate by microdialysis are directly related to neuronal activity.
Publication Year: 1993
Publication Date: 1993-01-01
Language: en
Type: book-chapter
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 12
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