Pepperdine University View Institution's Website 3 articles published in JoVE Biology Rodent Estrous Cycle Monitoring Utilizing Vaginal Lavage: No Such Thing As a Normal Cycle Hannah Robert1, Lindsay Ferguson1, Olivia Reins2, Tiffany Greco1, Mayumi L. Prins1, Michael Folkerts2 1Department of Neurosurgery, Brain Injury Research Center, UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine, 2Department of Psychology, Pepperdine University, Seaver College This study details the crucial factors to consider in experimental designs involving female rats. In a larger sense, these data serve to decrease stigma and assist in the development of more inclusive diagnostic and intervention tools. Neuroscience Simultaneous Pre- and Post-synaptic Electrophysiological Recording from Xenopus Nerve-muscle Co-cultures Bruce Yazejian1, Rita M. Yazejian1, Rachel Einarsson2, Alan D. Grinnell1 1Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 2Natural Science Division, Pepperdine University This video demonstrates the procedures used to grow primary cultures of embryonic Xenopus nerve and muscle cells and the usefulness of this preparation for making simultaneous pre- and post-synaptic patch clamp recordings. Neuroscience Patch Clamp Recordings in Inner Ear Hair Cells Isolated from Zebrafish Rachel Einarsson1, Marshall Haden1, Gabrielle DiCiolli1, Andrea Lim1, Kolina Mah-Ginn1, Kathleen Aguilar1, Lucy Yazejian1, Bruce Yazejian1 1Natural Science Division, Pepperdine University The purpose of this video is to demonstrate procedures for obtaining healthy, intact hair cells from the inner ear organs of adult zebrafish and then using them for patch clamp studies aimed at characterizing the biophysical properties of their voltage-gated channels.