General overview of neuronal cell culture.

In this introductory chapter, we provide a general overview of neuronal cell culture. This is a rapidly evolving area of research and we provide an outline and contextual framework for the different chapters of this book. These chapters were all contributed by scientists actively working in the field who are currently using state-of-the-art techniques to advance our understanding of the molecular and cellular biology of the central nervous system. Each chapter provides detailed descriptions and experimental protocols for a variety of techniques ranging in scope from basic neuronal cell line culturing to advanced and specialized methods.