Work

Electrochemical Analysis of Neurotransmitters

Year: 2015

Type: review

Abstract: Chemical signaling through the release of neurotransmitters into the extracellular space is the primary means of communication between neurons. More than four decades ago, Ralph Adams and his colleagues realized the utility of electrochemical methods for the study of easily oxidizable neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin and their metabolites. Today, electrochemical techniques are frequently coupled to microelectrodes to enable spatially resolved recordings of rapid neurotransmitter dynamics in a variety of biological preparations spanning from single cells to the intact brain of behaving animals. In this review, we provide a basic overview of the principles underlying constant-potential amperometry and fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, the most commonly employed electrochemical techniques, and the general application of these methods to the study of neurotransmission. We thereafter discuss several recent developments in sensor design and experimental methodology that are challenging the current limitations defining the application of electrochemical methods to neurotransmitter measurements.

Source: Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry

DOI: 10.1146/annurev-anchem-071114-040426

Authors: Elizabeth S. Bucher, R. Mark Wightman

Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Language: English

Topic: Electrochemical Analysis and Applications

Subfield: Electrochemistry

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Awards: Electrochemical tools to measure local cerebral blood flow and metabolism, Electroanalysis of Neurotransmitters and Modulators, Dynamics of in vivo dopamine release