Modern concepts in electrophysiology for psychiatry

Abstract

The emergence of specific concepts of possible neuronal pathophysiology in mental disorders has recently been accelerated by the realization that the central catecholamine and indoleamine pathways show potent and widespread actions in animal experiments. These functional properties have been characterized in part by new methods of neuronal circuit analysis, more specific methods of neuronal cytochemistry, and by extensive exploitation of more classical electrophysiological methodologies for the assessment of synaptic transmitter identification and mechanism, the results of experiments at the cellular level have permitted additional studies to be done on the possible behavioral significance of the events regulated by monamines in the awake animal, When the cytochemical and electrophysiological and behavioral exeriments are considered as connected aspects of the same brain sub-systems, then the simple electrophysiological concepts of excitation and inhibition seem inadequate to explain the integrative, amplifying and biochemical actions which can be performed by experimental manipulation of central monamine pathways.