Assaying neurotransmitters in and around single neurons with information-rich detectors

Techniques to study the chemical environment in and around individual neuro ns are reviewed, with an emphasis on methods to assay single cells for neur otransmitters and neuromodulators that do not require analyte preselection. Current capabilities of capillary-based microseparations and mass spectrom etry are highlighted for this application. Methods to combine multiple anal ytical techniques to provide chemical, spatial and temporal information are described. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.