Neuronal activity: from in vitro preparation to behaving animals.

The knowledge of the mechanisms regulating electric neuronal activity is fragmented by the wide variety of techniques and experimental models currently used in neurophysiological research. The interest and importance of the results obtained in any research is improved when interpreted in the perspective of the organism functioning as a whole in physiological conditions. Such interpretation, freed of the constraints imposed by the different techniques and experimental conditions used, is especially important when discussing together results obtained at the behavioral, cellular, and molecular level. This article outlines some of the key factors to consider when experiments from different models are interpreted together.