title: Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in freely moving animals.
abstract: The patch-clamp technique and the whole-cell measurements derived from it have greatly advanced our understanding of the coding properties of individual neurons by allowing for a detailed analysis of their excitatory/inhibitory synaptic inputs, intrinsic electrical properties, and morphology. Because such measurements require a high level of mechanical stability they have for a long time been limited to in vitro and anesthetized preparations. Recently, however, a considerable amount of effort has been devoted to extending these techniques to awake restrained/head-fixed preparations allowing for the study of the input-output functions of neurons during behavior. In this chapter we describe a technique extending patch-clamp recordings to awake animals free to explore their environments.
authors.affiliation: Janelia Farm Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 19700 Helix Drive, Ashburn, VA, 20147, USA, leea@janelia.hhmi.org.
authors.forename: Albert K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Epsztein
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brecht
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004566:Electrodes; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D018408:Patch-Clamp Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014851:Wakefulness; D016138:Walking