Acute Hippocampal Slices
Acute Hippocampal Slices - Related Videos
11:29
Investigation of Synaptic Tagging/Capture and Cross-capture using Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rodents
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Cited by 52 •
2015
This video article describes experimental procedures to study long-term plasticity and its associative processes such as synaptic tagging, capture and cross-tagging in the CA1 pyramidal neurons using acute hippocampal slices from rodents.
05:26
Recording Neuronal Field Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials in Acute Hippocampal Slices
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2025
This video demonstrates the procedure for setting up a brain slice in a submersion chamber to record synaptic activity. The process involves securing the slice on lens paper, maintaining a continuous flow of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) to ensure neuronal viability, and accurately positioning the stimulation and recording electrodes relative to a specific brain region of interest. This setup allows for precise monitoring of baseline synaptic activity and the effects of electrical...
08:20
Organotypic Hippocampal Slice Cultures
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Cited by 52 •
2011
We describe a method to prepare organotypic hippocampal slices that can be easily adapted to other brain regions. Brain slices are laid on porous membranes and culture media is allowed to form an interface. This method preserves the gross architecture of the hippocampus for up to 2 weeks in culture.
14:57
Preparation of Acute Hippocampal Slices from Rats and Transgenic Mice for the Study of Synaptic Alterations during Aging and Amyloid Pathology
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Cited by 62 •
2011
This article outlines procedures for preparing hippocampal slices from rats and transgenic mice for the study of synaptic alterations associated with brain aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
09:51
Recording Synaptic Plasticity in Acute Hippocampal Slices Maintained in a Small-volume Recycling-, Perfusion-, and Submersion-type Chamber System
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Cited by 5 •
2018
This protocol describes the stabilization of the oxygen level in a small volume of recycled buffer and methodological aspects of recording activity-dependent synaptic plasticity in submerged acute hippocampal slices.
FAQs
Oxygenated artificial cerebrospinal fluid provides the controlled external environment needed to keep neurons and synaptic connections functional after the hippocampus has been removed from the brain. Maintaining this condition supports measurements of excitability and synaptic transmission while allowing researchers to adjust experimental variables and observe how circuit responses change.
The preparation retains aspects of native hippocampal tissue organization, including local neural circuits and their synaptic connections. This makes it possible to examine communication among nearby neurons rather than studying isolated cells alone. Consequently, researchers can relate cellular activity to circuit-level responses relevant to hippocampal processing.
Acute hippocampal slices support direct analysis of neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission, and plasticity. Electrophysiology can measure electrical responses, imaging can track activity-related changes, and pharmacological manipulation can test how selected interventions alter circuit behavior. Together, these approaches connect cellular mechanisms with functional changes in hippocampal networks.
Preparation requires rapid dissection and sectioning of the hippocampus, followed by maintenance of the tissue in oxygenated artificial cerebrospinal fluid. The sequence is important because the tissue must remain sufficiently functional for short-term study outside the brain. Once maintained under controlled conditions, investigators can apply electrophysiological, imaging, or pharmacological measurements.
Researchers choose this model when they need direct access to hippocampal tissue and precise control over experimental conditions. The preparation allows neural excitability, synaptic signaling, and circuit responses to be measured while interventions are applied directly. It therefore offers a tractable approach for testing mechanisms that may be difficult to isolate in the intact brain.
Applications include investigating mechanisms related to learning and memory, epilepsy, neurodegeneration, and drug effects. The retained local organization helps researchers examine how these conditions or interventions influence hippocampal circuit function, while the short-term ex vivo format supports controlled comparison of neuronal and synaptic responses across experimental conditions.