Electrophysiology is fascinating! The methods used to study neurons and their ion channels are super interesting. One method is where a pipette with a super ti

Electrophysiology is fascinating! The methods used to study neurons and their ion channels are super interesting. One method is where a pipette with a super tiny tip is attached using suction to the membrane of a neuron, inside the pipette is one end of a circuit used to measure changes in conductance (through ion transfer) This allows a researcher to study the properties of individual (or small groups of) ion channels. You can either take measurements while attached to a whole neuron or you can give the pipette a little careful tug to rip off some piece of membrane to study a small subset of the channels present. This is called "inside out" Another similar method is "outside out" where the researcher applied more suction to break the membrane where the pipette is attached, then they can pull away and the membrane surrounding the pipette seal is allowed to reform. Really cool stuff! I recommend anyone interested in neuroscience read about some of these methods.