Neurotrophin Protocols: 169 (Methods in Molecular Biology)

Product description Review "...provides a collection of chapters written by experts in developmental neuroscience, neuroanatomy, signaling mechanisms that regulate neuronal survival and plasticity, and neurodegenerative disorders....This book will be a valuable addition to libraries at Universities and various other institutes engaged in biomedical sciences, as well as to the personal collection of those scientists interested in growth factors....A strength of Neurotrophin Protocols is that it covers considerable ground with little repetition of background information and specific methods among chapters....we expect that this book will spend less time on the shelf and more time on lab benches and office desks. This is well done and timely contribution to the field of neurotrophic factor research."-Journal of Molecular Neuroscience From the Back Cover Despite the extraordinary growth of research interest in neurotrophic factors, the techniques available have often been inadequate or just emergent from other disciplines. In Neurotrophin Protocols, established leaders in the neurotrophin field detail their special expertise in a wide variety of key protein, RNA, recombinant, and in vivo techniques. The protocols range from immunological analysis for the cellular localization and quantification of the neurotrophins, to genetic manipulation of cells and animals for the analysis of biological function, to quantitative analysis of the active neurotrophin genes. There are also radiotracing techniques for studying neurotrophin transport in both the retrograde and anterograde directions, procedures for using immunotoxins to study the effects of eliminating a single class of neurons, and the essential stereological method for estimation of neuronal numbers. Each method includes not only detailed step-by-step instructions, but also a list of necessary equipment and supplies, and valuable notes spelling out quick tips and tricks of the trade.Timely and robust, Neurotrophin Protocols provides today's neuroscientists in both academia and industry with a comprehensive range of practical, readily reproducible methods for studying neurotrophins and the critically important effects they have on the nervous system.