Diffusion in the slice microenvironment and implications for physiological studies

The brain cell microenvironment includes the extracellular space surrounding the cell together with the cellular elements that define the space. The dense packing of cells in the mammalian nervous system ensures that the extracellular space is narrow but highly complex in geometry. Recent studies with ion-selective micropipettes have revealed that the cerebellar slice can support changes in [K+]o that resemble those seen in the intact preparation. In the slice, [K+]o responses of individual cells can even be resolved. Studies with iontophoretic techniques and quantitative analysis in the slice have shown that the extracellular space has diffusion properties, characterized by a volume fraction and a tortuosity, that are very similar to those seen in the intact animal. These data confirm that the microenvironment in the slice is comparable to that in the intact animal. The diffusion parameters can be used to make predictions about the time necessary for substances to diffuse into slices under various conditions. Such estimates, together with other studies, indicate that it is probably inadvisable to use slices with thicknesses in excess of 300--400 micrometers, and that the bathing conditions can be critical in maintaining slice viability.