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Method Article
Mary Palmer
Chris Connolly, Dundee
Corresponding Author
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 License. Read Full License
This protocol describes a technique for making whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from mushroom body Kenyon cells (KCs) in acutely-isolated honeybee and bumblebee brain. This technique provides significant advantages over cultured neuron recordings for studying the functional properties of KCs, due for example to their intact morphology and synaptic connections. Successful patch-clamp recordings depend on the enzymatic removal of covering membranes, but are stable for up to several hours once achieved. Patch-clamp recordings from KCs in intact bee brain have been used to study the impairment of neuronal function by cholinergic pesticides, and should enable a much greater understanding of the role of KCs in sensory learning and memory.
Keywords
Honeybee, bumblebee, isolated brain, mushroom body, Kenyon cell, patch-clamp, voltage-clamp, current-clamp
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
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CURRENT STATUS: Posted
Version 1
Posted 28 Mar, 2013
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Subject Areas
Neuroscience
Associated Publications
Cholinergic pesticides cause mushroom body neuronal inactivation in honeybees
by Mary J. Palmer, Christopher Moffat, Nastja Saranzewa, +3
Nature Communications (27 March, 2013)
Caffeine in Floral Nectar Enhances a Pollinator's Memory of Reward
by G. A. Wright, D. D. Baker, M. J. Palmer, +5
Science (27 March, 2013)
An open repository of community-contributed protocols sponsored by Nature Research.
Learn more about Protocol Exchange
Method Article
Mary Palmer
Chris Connolly, Dundee
Corresponding Author
Version History
CURRENT STATUS: Posted
Version 1
Posted 28 Mar, 2013
No community comments so far
Metrics
Comments: 0
HTML Views: ...
Subject Areas
Neuroscience
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 License. Read Full License
This protocol describes a technique for making whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from mushroom body Kenyon cells (KCs) in acutely-isolated honeybee and bumblebee brain. This technique provides significant advantages over cultured neuron recordings for studying the functional properties of KCs, due for example to their intact morphology and synaptic connections. Successful patch-clamp recordings depend on the enzymatic removal of covering membranes, but are stable for up to several hours once achieved. Patch-clamp recordings from KCs in intact bee brain have been used to study the impairment of neuronal function by cholinergic pesticides, and should enable a much greater understanding of the role of KCs in sensory learning and memory.
The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Loading...
Associated Publications
Cholinergic pesticides cause mushroom body neuronal inactivation in honeybees
by Mary J. Palmer, Christopher Moffat, Nastja Saranzewa, +3
Nature Communications (27 March, 2013)
Caffeine in Floral Nectar Enhances a Pollinator's Memory of Reward
by G. A. Wright, D. D. Baker, M. J. Palmer, +5
Science (27 March, 2013)