[Neuroscience] Re: How do you approach a neuron under DIC optic?

[Christian Wilms]

<bilz0r at hotmail.com> wrote:

In my expirience the following two statments might be connencted.

> As I say, I can't make tight seals like this. Would I have better luck
> if I was approaching down the axis of the pipette to start with?

> I notice when I approach down into the slice, the slice must compress a
> lot as the neuron I'm focus on moves significantly out of the plane of
> focu every time I approach down.

If you are trying to patch a cell fairly deep in the slice then
approaching in the vertical will lead to a compression of the slice. If
you use the pipette-axis for the initial approach you "stab" into the
slice much more easily, without really compressing it.

I tend to get better seals when I approach my cells in this manner.

Let us know if you've worked the problem out.

bye, Chris