The Physiology of Excitable Cells [Paperback]

David J. Aidley (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521574218 | ISBN-13: 978-0521574211 | Publication Date: September 28, 1998 | Edition: 4

The fourth edition of this highly successful text has been extensively revised and restructured to take account of the many recent advances in the field. The classic observations of recent years can now be interpreted with the powerful new techniques of molecular biology. Consequently, there is much new material throughout the book, including many new illustrations and extensive references to recent work. The text's essential philosophy remains the same, however: it clearly explains fundamental concepts, and examines key experiments in detail. This thorough and clearly written textbook will be valuable for students of physiology, neuroscience, cell biology and biophysics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...surely the best currently available text on excitable cells..." Quarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology

"I enjoyed this book immensely and believe that it can be used comfortably by students, as a reference for experts, and as a tool for the interested nonexpert investigator." Quarterly Journal of Experimental Physiology

"...it is indeed remarkable that a single author can now review current knowledge of so wide a field in the detail Aidley does here." Nerve and Muscle

"This fourth edition, as we might expect, emphasizes molecular techniques and includes much new material. Our knowledge continues to develop concerning the physiology of nerves, muscles, and sensory cells, and this book is an excellent survey of the field." Molecular Reproduction and Development

Book Description

Excitable cells include nerve, sensory and muscle cells and they are studied by students of physiology, neuroscience, cell biology and biophysics. The text is well known among students and researchers for its thoroughness and clarity. Fundamental concepts are explained and key experiments are examined in some detail. The revised and restructured new edition takes account of recent advances in molecular biology, with 900 new references to bring the coverage up to date, but retains the same essential philosophy as previous editions.

Product Details

• Paperback: 492 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 4 edition (September 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521574218
• ISBN-13: 978-0521574211
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good book, February 22, 2002

By 

"jjpill" (Evanston, Il United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Physiology of Excitable Cells (Paperback)

So, You're in grad school or a major in Neurobiology and you are looking to see if the book is worth the money??

This book does not give core facts in a easy to regurgitate format.Don't read this a day before your exam.

What the book gives you and does better than any other neurobiology book I know about (yes,that's a tall claim, but Im comfortable making it) is a clear and concise walk through the relevant ideas and experiments that went into building a simple 'taken for granted' concept like say the synaptic vesicles.

This book more than any other made me see the facts I read in tons of other books through the eye of an experimentalist and I had a clear appreciation of the thought that went towards designing an experiment and interpreting the result.I'm not sure if this would be the best book to read for an introduction to Neurobiology but if you have some background this is a book you would like to come back to again and again.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cellular Neurophysiology and Electrophysiology, April 16, 2005

By 

Joseph J Grenier "jjg MD PhD" (Aurora, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Physiology of Excitable Cells (Paperback)

David Aidley's 4th edition text is superb for the graduate student in experimental cellular neurophysiology. This text does not cover neuroanatomy or systems neurophysiology. That is probably a weakness for those students hoping to have a comprehensive review book such as Principles of Neural Science by Kandel & Schwartz. Strengths of the book include discussion of Hodgkin-Huxley equations, ion channel kinetics equations, entropy equations, pearls of wisdom related to different aquatic species, etc. LTP and LTD are covered well. Receptor physiology is discussed better in this book than any other with the exception of Handbook of Physiology Receptors Springer by Lowenstein. Cortical neurophysiology is weak here. If you had to choose between this book and other cellular neurophysiology books, you cannot go wrong with this one. Cellular Biophysics: Electrical Phenomenon by Weiss and Foundations of Cellular Neurophysiology by Wu & Johnston are two others to look at that are more complex than Aidley's book. It is a shame that David Aidley died in 2001 so that a 5th edition of this outstanding textbook will not be available.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Aidley - Interesting and user friendly (mostly), September 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Physiology of Excitable Cells (Paperback)

As part of my degree I study neuromuscular physiology and this is the recomended text.It has well layed out chapters with each unit taking a major topic in electrophysiology. It starts with the extreme basic but this gives you the instant reminder of all that you've learned and the basis of electrophysiology. The chapters are layed out in the topics generally study at university, though it goes into more detail. The graphs that accompany many of the topics were found very useful for comparison for practical experiments. This text is helpful and detailed, and useful for study.