Burleigh® » Applications » Brain Slice

Brain Slice

Patch clamping of brain slices is most often performed on an upright microscope and requires a micromanipulator to have a shallow approach angle of less than 20 degrees. The Burleigh® Gibraltar® platform is particularly ideal for recording from brain cells.

The Burleigh® Gibraltar® platform supports the upright microscope and the Burleigh® PCS-6200 manipulator in the traditional brain slice configuration (T-configuration) with a real approach axis. For longer piezo travel, we also offer the Burleigh® PCS-6300 and Burleigh® PCS-6400 models.

In general, the recommended equipment configuration for brain slice recording would be:


Motorized Burleigh® Gibraltar®

Features Benefits
25 mm of vibration free XY motorized positioning of the microscope The entire upright microscope can be easily moved, while the brain slice and the manipulator remain stationary
Two XY memory positions Two areas can be reproducibly located increasing efficiency for double patching, time lapse photography
Aluminum or stainless steel top Aluminum platform with through-holes for ease of mounting manipulators or a stainless steel top with tapped holes and spill-proof base

Burleigh® PCS-6200

Features Benefits
25 mm of motorized motion in three linear axes Coarse positioning without touching the manipulator
150 µm of piezo motion in all three axes Piezo motion provides ultra smooth positioning, essentially turning finger movements into nanometer precision
Drift specification of better than 1 µm per hour Stable patching, providing results faster and with less frustration
Easy tip exchange made possible by two rotary stages with adjustable stops Tip exchange can be accomplished rapidly and easily, in some cases saving as much as 90 minutes of recording time per day
A real approach axis Providing smoother penetration into the brain slice and reducing the possibility of tissue stress
Two year warranty Peace of mind