ABSTRACT
The patch-clamp technique was originally developed by Neher and Sakmann in the mid-1970s in order to gain the resolution necessary to record the current that passes when a single ion channel opens in an excitable membrane. Applying patch-clamp techniques to brain slices is not really a method in itself, but rather the combination of two very well-established methods. Depending on the slices to be used, an appropriate block of brain must be cut. The greatest advantage gained by applying patch clamp techniques to brain slices was the possibility of recording central synaptic currents at high resolution. Applying patch-clamp techniques to slices has become a commonly used technique which is applicable not only to brain tissue but also to some peripheral tissues. The brain should then be picked up on a spatula with the side to be glued facing down and slipped off so that it lands directly onto the patch of glue.
