A multimicroelectrode system composed of independent glass micropipettes with an eccentric tip structure for simultaneous intracellular recording

Abstract

A glass multimicroelectrode system for simultaneous intracellular recordings is described in which four pieces of micropipettes with rectangular cross section are arranged in a square compartment. Each tip position is shifted from the central axis of the electrode stem toward the crest line of its corner. Such micropipettes are mechanically bundled to one another so that the horizontal spacing among tips can be made shorter than the electrode diameter and components are independently penetrable. This paper offers techniques for fabricating such an eccentric micropipette. Finally, an example of simultaneous recordings of intracellular membrane potentials in the carp retina is demonstrated. This paper provides a technique which would allow researchers to record from three or four neurons simultaneously.