Patch Clamp
Patch clamp recording is used to measure electrical activity in neurons. The technique uses a one micrometer diameter open tip glass micropipette to suction the membrane of a cell. The pipette is filled with ionic solution, and a silver wire is placed in the solution to conduct and amplify electrical signals. The ion solution can be varied and drugs can be delivered through the micropipette to study the effects of current under various conditions. Receptor and voltage-gated channel antagonists are often applied (i.e. nickel used to block NMDA receptors) in order to study the effects of ion channels on dendritic spike initiation. Current injection is often paired with patch clamp recordings in order to observe current modulation due to various experimental factors.
Read more about this topic: Dendritic Spike, Experimental Methods
Famous quotes containing the word patch:
“Imperious Caesar, dead and turned to clay,
Might stop a hole to keep the wind away.
O that that earth which kept the world in awe
Should patch a wall t’expel the winter’s flaw!”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)