Abstract
Oscillatory output from the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus communicates time-of-day information to the brain and body. The SCN’s intrinsic ~24-h rhythm can be measured in the neuronal firing rate both in vivo and in vitro, where it continues unperturbed. This robust reporter of endogenous physiology in the SCN brain slice can be widely used to study dynamic changes in SCN physiology, its changing sensitivity to phase-altering signals, and underlying mechanisms. To provide relevant and reproducible data, care must be taken to ensure health of the SCN brain slice. The methods detailed here have been proven to produce healthy, long-lived brain slices.
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Acknowledgments
Preparation of this chapter was facilitated by NIH and NSFÂ grants STC CBET-0939511, R61HL159948, and R21MH117277 (MUG).
We thank Rhanor Gillette for contributions to the development of methods and this manuscript.
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Gillette, M.U., Mitchell, J.W. (2022). Electrophysiology of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus: Single-Unit Recording. In: Solanas, G., Welz, P.S. (eds) Circadian Regulation. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2482. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2249-0_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-2249-0_12
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