In these experiments we have investigated the feasibility and accuracy of recording steady-state and dynamic changes in transmembrane potential noninvasively across an intact cell-attached patch using the current-clamp mode of a conventional patch-clamp amplifier. Using an equivalent circuit mimicking simultaneous whole-cell voltage-clamp and cell-attached current-clamp recordings we have defin...

Ion channel proteins are universal devices for fast communication across biological membranes. The temporal signature of the ionic flux they generate depends on properties intrinsic to each channel protein as well as the mechanism by which it is generated and controlled and represents an important area of current research. Information about the operational dynamics of ion channel proteins can b...

The ion channels located on the cell fine structures play an important role in the physiological functions of cell membrane. However, it is impossible to achieve precise positioning on the nanometer scale cellular microstructures by conventional patch-clamp technique, due to the 200 nm resolution limit of optical microscope. To solve this problem, we have established a high-resolution patch-cla...

Patch clamp is the main technique for measuring electrical properties of individual cells. Since its discovery in 1976 by Neher and Sakmann, patch clamp has been instrumental in broadening our understanding of the fundamental properties of ion channels and synapses in neurons. The conventional patch-clamp method requires manual, precise positioning of a glass micropipette against the cell membr...

Introduction: Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent cells that can proliferate and differentiate to many cell types. Their electrophysiological properties have not yet been chracterzed. In this study, the passive properties (such as resting membrane potential, input resistance and capacitance) and the contribution of delayed rectifier K+ channel currents to the membrane conducta...

29 THE 4TH ANNUAL IEEE INTERnational Conference on Nano/Microengineered Molecular Systems (IEEE-NEMS) was held at the Sheraton Dameisha Resort in Shenzhen, China, 5–8 January 2009. More than 300 papers were presented by leading micro/nanotechnology researchers in academia and industry from around the globe. Topical areas of the conference included microelectro mechanical systems (MEMS), BioMEMS...

The dentate gyrus of hippocampus has long been considered as a focal point for studies on mechanisms responsible for the development of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Change in intrinsic properties of dentate gyrus granule cells (GCs) has been considered as an important factor responsible in temporal lobe seizures. In this study, we evaluated the intrinsic properties of GCs, during acute phase o...

Whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiological recording is a powerful technique for studying cellular function. While in vivo patch-clamp recording has recently benefited from automation, it is normally performed "blind," meaning that throughput for sampling some genetically or morphologically defined cell types is unacceptably low. One solution to this problem is to use two-photon microscopy to ...

Short generation times and facile genetic techniques make the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster an excellent genetic model in fundamental neuroscience research. Ion channels are the basis of all behavior since they mediate neuronal excitability. The first voltage gated ion channel cloned was the Drosophila voltage gated potassium channel Shaker(1,2). Toward understanding the role of ion channel...