An understanding of the physiology and function of nerve and muscle is fundamental to our knowledge of how the human body and the bodies of other animals function. In the third edition of this highly readable and concise introductory textbook, the authors begin with a discussion of the nature of nerve impulses as electrical events. They go on to consider communication between nerve cells via synaptic transmission, and finally discuss the nature of muscular contraction, relating muscle cellular structure to contractile function. This is a subject that continues to generate exciting discoveries and this edition includes new material that reflects this, including some of the experimental evidence. The reader will find up-to-date detail of the molecular structure of ion channels and the molecular basis of muscular contraction. Nerve and Muscle is essential reading for all students taking university courses in neurobiology, physiology, cell biology and preclinical medicine.