title: How to make calcium-sensitive microelectrodes.
abstract: Ca(2+)-sensitive microelectrodes (CaSMs) directly measure the pCa at their tip, which can be in a small extracellular space or inside a large and robust cell. They do not add to buffering and do not require expensive equipment. But they are time-consuming to make, require a reference electrode in the same location, and tend to create a leak around the point of insertion. In addition, CaSMs only work well with a tip diameter of >1 μm. In this protocol, we describe how to make and use the electrodes and briefly consider possible problems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, United Kingdom. rct26@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: Roger C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Donald M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Bers
mesh_terms: D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis*; D017736:Ion-Selective Electrodes; D008839:Microelectrodes
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium