Voltage-clamp and patch-clamp techniques

Abstract

This chapter describes various methods of analysis of the electrical behaviour of excitable cells using microelectrodes. Since their introduction in the 1920's, microelectrodes have become the "workhorses" of electrophysiology, and a comprehensive number of publications exist about this topic. Here, we give a consolidated overview of the most important methods of investigation at single cell level, however, high throughput methods and automated recording procedures are not discussed. There is a reference list (Further Reading) at the end of this chapter, detailing some of the most important books published in recent decades. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.