Microdialysis applications in neuroscience

Background: Microdialysis is a technique to monitor extracellular changes in living tissue. Substances present in the extracellular space, such as neurotransmitters and metabolites transported between cells and capillaries in the extracellular fluid (ECF), are major object. Results: Since its introduction to the research of the nervous system, microdialysis has become a popular method for the measurements of brain chemistry and greatly affected in the fields of neuropharmacology, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. Most of published papers using microdialysis have focused on the area of neuroscience, recently more biomedical application. Conclusion: In this review, we focused on cerebral microdialysis as a monitoring tool for physiologic and pathophysiologic changes in chemical processes in the brain. Then we presented the principle and various applications of cerebral microdialysis. [Neurol Res 2008; 30: 661-668]