Module 12 - Electrophysiology

Question 1

Recording techniques

Answer 1

Extracellular - Easy but not very specific (electrons placed out of the cell but near it, recording the activity of a group of cells)

Intracellular - Hard but specific (sharp glass electrode with wire pierces membrane to record the cell’s electrophysiology)

Patch - Very hard but very specific (gives channel info,)

Question 2

EEG: what is it, what does it involve, and what does it do?

Answer 2

Electroencephalogram

Places many electrodes over the scalp, measures electrical changes in the brain and is used to determine the localisation of neurones in the brain

Question 3

ECG: what is it, what does it involve, and what does it do?

Answer 3

Electrocardiogram

Question 4

The four types of patch clamps

Answer 4

Cell-attached - attaches and isolates an ion channel

Whole-cell recording - breaks an opening in the membrane

Inside-out - ion channel inside the clamp, the membrane attached outside the clamp

Outside-out - Ion channel outside the clamp, the membrane inside the clamp

Question 5

Cell-attached patch clamps: strengths and weaknesses

Answer 5

Strength: ibsridc

Weakness: can only monitor one drug on the ion channel since