VOLTAGE CLAMP METHOD Flashcards
(10 cards)
Who invented the voltage clamp method?
Kenneth cole in the 1940s
Why is it called the voltage clamp method
It clamps membrane potential (or voltage) at any level by the experimenter.
What is phase one?
An electrode is placed inside the cell.
What is phase two?
The voltage from the electrode is comparted with the desired voltage (command voltage).
What is phase three?
The current is passed back into the cell through another intracellular electrode.
What is phase four?
The electronic circuit keeps the membrane potential at the desired level and permits the simultaneous measurement of the current needed to keep the cell at a given voltage.
Why do we need to know the measurement of current?
The current is equal to the amount of current flowing across the neuronal membrane.
What is the voltage clamp method used for?
Shows how much ionic current flows at different membrane potentials. This helps us understand the properties of ion channels and their conductance.
What is the most popular version of the voltage clamp method?
The Patch Clamp Method.
What makes the patch clamp method special?
It can be applied to virtually any cell and can measure the electrical currents flowing through single ion channels.
