Suprachiasmatic nucleus cultures that maintain rhythmic properties in vitro

Brain slices prepared from early postnatal rodents can be maintained in culture from many weeks to months. In culture, brain slices retain their original characteristic cytoarchitecture (organotypic) and continue to differentiate and mature in vitro resembling the characteristics of the original tissue in vivo. Therefore, this fascinating approach allows us to investigate fundamental issues of structure, function, and development of the central nervous system. This chapter introduces two techniques for culturing slices of mammalian brain tissue that are most commonly used at present.