Tao Can, Zhang Guangwei, Xiong Ying, Zhou Yi
Department of Neurobiology, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Neurobiology, Third Military Medical University Chongqing, China.
Front Neural Circuits. 2015 May 22;9:23. doi: 10.3389/fncir.2015.00023. eCollection 2015.
Neuronal activity is dominated by synaptic inputs from excitatory or inhibitory neural circuits. With the development of in vivo patch-clamp recording, especially in vivo voltage-clamp recording, researchers can not only directly measure neuronal activity, such as spiking responses or membrane potential dynamics, but also quantify synaptic inputs from excitatory and inhibitory circuits in living animals. This approach enables researchers to directly unravel different synaptic components and to understand their underlying roles in particular brain functions. Combining in vivo patch-clamp recording with other techniques, such as two-photon imaging or optogenetics, can provide even clearer functional dissection of the synaptic contributions of different neurons or nuclei. Here, we summarized current applications and recent research progress using the in vivo patch-clamp recording method and focused on its role in the functional dissection of different synaptic inputs. The key factors of a successful in vivo patch-clamp experiment and possible solutions based on references and our experiences were also discussed.
神经元活动主要受来自兴奋性或抑制性神经回路的突触输入支配。随着体内膜片钳记录技术的发展，尤其是体内电压钳记录技术的发展，研究人员不仅可以直接测量神经元活动，如动作电位反应或膜电位动态变化，还可以量化活体动物中来自兴奋性和抑制性回路的突触输入。这种方法使研究人员能够直接揭示不同的突触成分，并了解它们在特定脑功能中的潜在作用。将体内膜片钳记录与其他技术，如双光子成像或光遗传学相结合，可以更清晰地剖析不同神经元或核团的突触贡献。在这里，我们总结了使用体内膜片钳记录方法的当前应用和最新研究进展，并重点关注其在不同突触输入功能剖析中的作用。我们还讨论了成功进行体内膜片钳实验的关键因素以及基于参考文献和我们自身经验的可能解决方案。
