Sensory Neuron Isolation
Sensory Neuron Isolation - Related Videos
03:37
Isolating Sensory Neurons and Co-Culturing with Natural Killer Cells
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2025
This video describes the isolation of DRG neurons through enzymatic digestion, mechanical dissociation, and gradient centrifugation. The DRG cells are co-cultured with natural killer cells on an extracellular matrix to study the interaction between immune cells and sensory neurons.
09:40
Isolation of Sensory Neurons of Aplysia californica for Patch Clamp Recordings of Glutamatergic Currents
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Cited by 5 •
2013
We describe the dissection of the nervous system of the marine sea hare Aplysia after anesthesia, the isolation of neurons for short term-tissue culture, and recordings of single cell ion currents via the patch clamp technique.
07:08
A Method to Target and Isolate Airway-innervating Sensory Neurons in Mice
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Cited by 9 •
2016
Organ specific sensory neurons are difficult to identify. Fast Blue tracing is used to identify nodose neurons innervating the airways for cell sorting. Sorted nodose neurons are used to extract high quality ribonucleic acid (RNA) for sequencing. Using this protocol, gene expression of airway specific neurons is determined.
17:27
Preparation of Aplysia Sensory-motor Neuronal Cell Cultures
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Cited by 37 •
2009
Primary cultures of Aplysia sensory-motor neurons provide a model preparation for studying synapse formation and synaptic plasticity in vitro. This video demonstrates the identification and microdissection of sensory and motor neurons from Aplysia ganglia as well as the methods for establishing and maintaining sensory-motor neurons in culture.
04:01
Isolation of Cells from Sensory Ganglia
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2025
This video demonstrates the isolation of cells from the sensory ganglia of mice. Ganglia are subjected to enzymatic digestion to dissolve the extracellular matrix. Single cells are then collected via filtering through a cell strainer followed by density gradient centrifugation for debris removal. Finally, washing and centrifugation are done to collect the isolated cells for future analysis.
FAQs
The two treatments serve complementary purposes. Enzymatic digestion helps loosen the cellular relationships within ganglia or other nervous tissue, while gentle mechanical dissociation separates the loosened material into individual cells. Combining them supports recovery of sensory neurons as discrete units without making mechanical force the sole means of tissue separation, which is important when subsequent analyses require viable cells.
Preserving neuronal structure and viability determines what the isolated preparation can meaningfully support. Cells that remain structurally intact and viable can be maintained in short-term culture, allowing investigators to examine sensory transduction, ion channel activity, neuronal survival, or responses to drugs and injury-related signals. The preparation therefore links cell-level observations to sensory function rather than only measuring tissue composition.
Because the cells are studied outside the body, experimental conditions can be controlled around the neurons themselves. This makes the preparation useful for connecting cellular mechanisms with pain, touch, and other sensory functions. It does not replace tissue-based or in vivo work; instead, it provides a complementary level of analysis for testing how individual sensory neurons respond.
A typical workflow begins with dissection of a ganglion or other nervous tissue, followed by enzymatic digestion. Gentle mechanical dissociation then releases individual sensory neurons from the treated tissue. The resulting cell preparation can be placed in short-term culture, where investigators examine the neurons under selected experimental conditions. Each stage supports the transition from intact tissue to analyzable cells.
After isolation, investigators can use the cells to study sensory transduction, ion channel activity, and neuronal survival. The same preparation can also be examined after exposure to drugs or injury-related signals to assess cellular responses. These applications make isolated neurons useful for examining normal sensory mechanisms as well as cellular changes associated with injury-related signaling.
In neuroscience, the method creates a controlled cellular model for relating neuron-level mechanisms to broader sensory outcomes. Findings from isolated cells can be considered alongside tissue-based observations and in vivo studies, helping researchers examine cellular mechanisms separately from effects that depend on surrounding tissue or the intact organism. Conclusions remain focused on neurons maintained in short-term culture.