The core facility has several setups for visually guided patch clamp recordings, that can be done in acute brain slices, cultured slices or dispersed cell cultures. Recordings can be combined with pharmacological and/or genetic manipulation as well as electrical and optogenetic stimulation.
Equipment: Most setups house an upright Olympus BX50 microscope equipped with differential interference contrast optics (IR-DIC) as well as UV LED illumination (CoolLED series) for visualization of fluorescent markers and optogenetic stimulation. We use Luigs & Neumann motorized micromanipulators and stage controllers, and Molecular Devices Amplifiers (Multiclamp 700 series), AD boards (Digidata 1440) and data acquisition software (pClamp). Pharmacological compounds can be applied through the chamber perfusion system or by fast application.
Location: Biocenter 3, room 1606
Additional info/Comments: The setups can be used by clients only after hands-on training. As successful recordings require extensive training, we recommend assisted use for all clients with no previous experience in electrophysiology.
Extracellular microelectrode recordings in brain slices measure population activity and can be used, for example, to study synaptic transmission, plasticity and circuit excitability (epileptiform activity). The recordings can be combined with pharmacological manipulations for preclinical purposes.
Equipment: The setups consists of a stereomicroscope and a brain slice chamber, with heater and perfusion of thermoregulated fluids. Recordings are made with Narishige micromanipulators and Molecular Devices Amplifiers (AxoPatch 200B), AD boards (Digidata 1440) and WinLTP data acquisition software.
Location: Biocenter 3, room 1605 and 1606
Additional info/Comments: The setups can be used by clients only after hands-on training. As successful recordings require extensive training, we recommend assisted use for all clients with no previous experience in electrophysiology.
The core facility has a MEA recording system for longitudinal recordings in tissue / slice cultures. The recordings can be combined with pharmacological and genetic manipulations, and carried out inside of a humidified CO2 incubator.
Equipment: MED 64–Allegro microelectrode array platform for extracellular recordings on tissue cultures
Location: Biocenter 3, room 1607
Additional info/Comments: The setups can be used by clients only after hands-on training.
The unit provides supporting facilities for sample preparation:
Please contact the unit personnel ( HEP-contact@helsinki.fi ) for new project requests.
| Price per hour (EUR) | |||
| Internal (UH) | Cost price (Aalto, HUS, BF) | External | |
| Visually guided patch clamp | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| price per day; incl use of supporting facilities | 50 | 50 | 100 |
| Extracellular Field recordings | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| price per day; incl use of supporting facilities | 25 | 25 | 50 |
| Multielectrode array recordings | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| Supporting facilities (slice preparation) | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| Assistance | |||
| Expert | 38 | 38 | 95 |
| Full research service ; agreed separately | |||
The in vitro electrophysiology unit provides electrode glass, vibratome blades, common salts for preparation of ACSF as well as carbogen for users. Other consumables (including e.g. MEA electrodes and pharmacological compounds) from the unit can be used only upon separate agreement, and these will be charged at provider’s price. It is commendable that users purchase all the necessary consumables themselves.
Obtaining access and reservation rights for all instruments requires training by unit personnel. After training, instrument reservations are done using Open IRIS. The instructions on how to log in and register as a new user can be found in the Open IRIS wiki.
Some of the techniques used in the unit are challenging. Assisted use by the unit personnel is possible, with additional cost (after training), as indicated in the price list. If long-term assistance or research services are needed, the details and pricing will be agreed individually when new projects are started.
Please note that if you have used any of the instruments or services of the Helsinki Electrophysiology Platform (HEP) for your publication, you are expected to mention the unit in the Acknowledgements and inform the unit personnel about your publication. A very general acknowledgement would be :
“The authors acknowledge the Helsinki Electrophysiology Platform (HEP) for the facilities and technical support. HEP is supported by the HiLife Neuroscience Center and Biocenter Finland.”
When the unit personnel provides substantial intellectual input to the project, they should be included as authors according to established international guidelines.