Bath Clamp Electrode Placement - Warner OC-725C User Manual

Setup

Bath Clamp Electrode Placement

Proper placement of the bath electrodes (Iout and Isense) is important for
obtaining optimum performance. The Isense electrode (or the agar bridge
associated with it) should be placed as close to the oocyte as possible since this
point is the virtual ground node, and on the same side as the voltage recording
electrode. The Iout electrode (or the agar bridge associated with it), on the other
hand, can be placed at a greater distance from the oocyte and should be on the
same side as the current electrode
It is recommended that the user not directly expose the electrode wires to the
perfusate if the recording session is to last for more than a few minutes. Instead,
agar bridges should be employed to provide a circuit between these electrodes and
the bath. This protects the cell membrane from the potential adverse effects of the
silver wire.
Single Oocyte Setup with Indirect Ground
Single oocyte studies are best accomplished with the setup shown in Figure A.
This method uses the bath clamp headstage to establish the bath ground and is
preferred for two reasons: (1) current readings with the bath clamp will have the
lowest noise level, and (2) properly placed bath clamp electrodes will negate the
need for series resistance compensation.
22
Publication 5720-001 REV1.0