Canadian Medical Guide > Analytical, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Techniques and Equipment > Investigative Techniques > Clinical Laboratory Techniques > Cytological Techniques > Patch-Clamp Techniques Terms and Definitions

Patch-Clamp Techniques

Medical Definition:	An electrophysiologic technique for studying cells, cell membranes, and occasionally isolated organelles. All patch-clamp methods rely on a very high-resistance seal between a micropipette and a membrane; the seal is usually attained by gentle suction. The four most common variants include on-cell patch, inside-out patch, outside-out patch, and whole-cell clamp. Patch-clamp methods are commonly used to voltage clamp, that is control the voltage across the membrane and measure current flow, but current-clamp methods, in which the current is controlled and the voltage is measured, are also used.
Guide Notes:	a cytol technique for removing a tiny patch of plasma membrane; NIM
Also Called:	Voltage-Clamp Techniques,Whole-Cell Recording
Previously Indexed:	Electrophysiology (1975-1994),Ion Channels (1978-1994),Membrane Potentials (1975-1994)

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