Customer Reviews

Single-Channel Recording

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4 star:		(1)
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Single Channel Recording is the possibly the single most useful text for the patch-clamp novice, and the text continues to be a fundamental resource for veterans. Sakmann and Neher, inventors of the technique, have compiled a book to give both theoretical background and practical advice regarding both experimental setup and data analysis. Whole-cell, single channels, and perforated patch are discussed. The practicalities of suitable patch glass, noise abatement, and capacitance cancelation are also covered. This book is a must have for all electrophysiologists.

Simple, precise, easy to read and understand, methodical, plenty of explanation - the INDISPENSABLE HANDBOOK for patch clamp/single channel recording. It's one of the books that's a "must have" for all grads, post docs and scientists working on electrophysiology and am sure that everyone will have something to gain from it.

Only complaint - since single channel analysis so heavily relies on building on models, there needs to be more description on it. There are only a couple of chapters with very elementary model building stuff which isn't going to be of much help to people, except to the ones who are just starting out. (But that's just a personal opinion)

A frequent complaint about neuroscience books is that they are a bit dry, but I am pleased to report that "Single Channel Recording" is as taut and suspenseful a tale as has ever hit the mystery shelf. Jumping immediately into the action with Chapter one, "A Practical Guide to Patch Clamping", the book provides a sinister foreshadowing of hidden dangers yet to come. Will recording noise preclude detection of the crucial signals? Will junction potentials throw the investigation off completely? And what of poor Calcium?

I don't want to give away the explosive finale (although I will give a hint: dielectric membrane breakdown), but suffice it to say that by the time the book is over, you will be exposed to a bigger bag of tricks than was ever dreamed up by "Q branch" from the James Bond series (The analogy was obviously on the authors' minds, with direct references to the "Q matrix").

Not only is the plot crisp, but the writing is also highly satisfying and complex, sometimes with a whimsical air that vaguely recalls Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions" but other times with a cold analytical nature that more closely resembles Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood". The book is truly a masterpiece, and Neher and Sakmann work as well together as their Sesame Street namesakes. Dust off the shelves for another Nobel, boys, this time in literature!

This book is essencial for new and experimented electrophysiologists. It have the basis for the more contemporary electrophysiology technique: The Patch Clamp Technique.
Who purcharse this book will enjoy it so much.

The information on Single-Channel Recording is excellent and this book should be a reference book for all electrophysiology students likewise the mentor.A must have in every lab.