Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes

by Bertil Hille

Ion channels underlie a broad range of the most basic biological processes, from excitation and signaling to secretion and absorption. Like enzymes, they are diverse and ubiquitous macromolecular catalysts with high substrate specificity and subject to strong regulation. This fully revised and expanded third edition of Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes describes the known channels and their physiological functions, then develops the conceptual background needed to understand their architecture and molecular mechanisms of operation. It includes new chapters on calcium signaling, structural biology, and molecular biology and genomics. Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes begins with the classical biophysical work of Hodgkin and Huxley, continues with the roles of channels in cellular signaling, then develops the physical and molecular principles needed for explaining permeation, gating, pharmacological modification, and molecular diversity, and ends with a discussion of channel
evolution. Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes is written to be accessible and interesting to life scientists and physical scientists of all kinds. It introduces all the concepts that a graduate student should be aware of but is also effective in advanced undergraduate courses. It has long been the recognized authoritative overview of this field used by all neuroscientists.

Genres: Neuroscience, Science, Reference, Biology, Textbooks, Nonfiction

816 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2001

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

We got through every page of this book in one semester. Obviously this is not something that you would pick up for light reading, but it is THE book for electrophysiology. Not an easy class or read by any means.

[Damien · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is the patch clamper's Holy Canon, or near as dammit. Most learn to love it and fear it in equal measures.

[DJ]

great book on models of single channels

[Lauren Poppi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner.

[Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the definitive text on plasma membrane biophysics. Hille describes the complex interplay of ionic channels from physico-chemical principle to structural biology and impact on phenotype.

[John Wan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need to read chapter 1-4, 10-12 before starting work.

[Yates Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for professional scientists or advanced Neuroscience students.
This is really the ultimate resource for the dynamics of cell membranes and the techniques to measure them. The author has dedicated his life to this field and to documenting it in a clear and exhaustive way. I was lucky enough to meet Dr. Hille and his enthusiasm for the problems that he describes is infectious, never thought a cell membrane would be so interesting and challenging a subject.
And if you are a pragmatic rationalist Neuroscience modeller, this text is a bit of a reality check. The brain is even more complicated than you thought it was.