A constant perfusion slice chamber for stable recording during the addition of drugs

A new design for a brain slice chamber is described. This chamber has the following features: slices are maintained in a stable condition for long-term (3-4 h) intracellular recording; drugs may be injected into the flowing perfusion medium in known concentrations without disturbing intracellular penetration; a wide range of concentrations may be used to test a single cell, highly repeatable results may be obtained; only minute amounts are required of substances to be tested, and the apparatus is easy to use and clean since all parts are removable. The chamber may also be easily modified to allow for the requirements of different experiments. The chamber has been used successfully to test the effects of Ang II, carbachol, insulin and gonadotropin releasing hormone.