By Arin Bhattacharjee

Neurons are excitable cells. They use ions and electrical signaling to talk to each to other and when they talk to each other, neurons control behavior. The Oxford Handbook of Neuronal Ion Channels is an accessible reference describing the nature and properties of ion channels in neurons. The book explains how ion channels open and close, how they can be selective for specific ions, and how they give rise to action potentials. Included are in-depth chapters discussing specific classes of ion channels: potassium channels, sodium channels, neurotransmitter-gated ion channels and other specialized channels. Throughout the handbook, important insight is provided on the contribution ion channels make to neuronal excitability and to synaptic transmission. The handbook goes further to discuss channelopathies, a group of human diseases such as epilepsy, pain and migraines that can be caused by ion channel dysfunction. For neuroscientists, biophysicists and neuropharmacologists, this handbook is a valuable reference of ion channel biology and function.