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Intact In Vitro Preparations of the Neonatal Rodent Cortex: Analysis of Cellular Properties and Network Activity

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Isolated Central Nervous System Circuits

Part of the book series: Neuromethods ((NM,volume 73))

Abstract

In vitro preparations of one whole hippocampus or one entire neocortical hemisphere (so-called intact preparations) combine the technical possibilities of conventional in vitro slice preparations with the advantage of a preserved intrinsic connectivity of a defined brain region. The initiation and propagation of spontaneous or experimentally induced network activity can be studied with various electrophysiological techniques from the single cell level to large neuronal networks. The good control of the extracellular milieu allows in-depth neuropharmacological analyses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying physiological or pathophysiological network activity. This chapter aims to give an overview on the prospects and limitations of intact in vitro preparations of the newborn rodent cortex.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to the authors and by the EC contract LSH-CT-2006-037315 (EPICURE).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany

    Heiko J. Luhmann & Werner Kilb

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  1. Heiko J. Luhmann
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  2. Werner Kilb
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Correspondence to Heiko J. Luhmann .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, Department of Physiology and Centre for, University of Alberta, N/A 232D, Edmonton, T6G 2S2, Alberta, Canada

    Klaus Ballanyi

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Luhmann, H.J., Kilb, W. (2012). Intact In Vitro Preparations of the Neonatal Rodent Cortex: Analysis of Cellular Properties and Network Activity. In: Ballanyi, K. (eds) Isolated Central Nervous System Circuits. Neuromethods, vol 73. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-020-5_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-020-5_10

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

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