Maintenance of complex neural function during perfusion of the mammalian brain

A perfused brain preparation was developed utilizing non-pulsatile flow of artificial blood. Cortical electrical activity and respiratory motor output were maintained for as long as 7-8 h. This preparation permits stable intracellular recordings from CNS neurons displaying ongoing respiratory activity, and should permit analysis of synaptic and intrinsic cellular mechanisms involved in producing the respiratory output. A similar approach may be useful for electrophysiology throughout the CNS, and for other fields in which control of the blood composition and/or mechanical stability are required.