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PubMed · 11084213

Combining loose cell-attached stimulation and recording.

B Barbour·P Isope
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Abstract

Many synaptic-physiology experiments require selective stimulation of presynaptic neurones. No single method for achieving this is entirely satisfactory. Presynaptic whole-cell or microelectrode recordings offer outstanding control, but establishing such recordings of synaptically-connected neurones can be very time consuming. Minimal stimulation provides too little information regarding the condition and excitation of the presynaptic neurone(s). In the loose cell-attached configuration, it is possible both to stimulate individual cells and to record their action potentials, but most commercially-available equipment will not enable combining stimulation and recording. We demonstrate simultaneous loose cell-attached stimulation and recording of action potentials using a specially-designed patch-clamp amplifier. Since no tight seal is required, the method permits electrode re-use, thus enabling rapid screening of presynaptic cells while stimulating them selectively.

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Action PotentialsAnimalsCell MembraneElectric StimulationExcitatory Postsynaptic PotentialsNeural InhibitionNeuronsPatch-Clamp TechniquesPurkinje CellsRatsSynaptic TransmissionJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

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B Barbour, P Isope. 2000-11-30. Combining loose cell-attached stimulation and recording.. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0165-0270(00)00318-6

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