General

Acute vital tissue sections like the hippocampal slice preparation have become a valuable tool in neuropharmacology and toxicology for evaluation of drug effects in the pharmaceutical industry. However, with a single standard experimental setup only a few tissue slices can be characterized within one day. A higher throughput of tissue sections, different drugs or concentrations is difficult and time consuming.

With the new SYNCHROSLICE system Lohmann Research Equipment overcomes this problem by electrophysiological evaluation in up to 8 tissue slices simultaneously. Single dose-response curves can be examined with a single loading of 8 slices in an interface or submerged chamber. Sections can be electrically stimulated and extracellular somatic and dendritic field potentials are recorded simulatenously with eight 2-fold microelectrodes. Various stimulation protocols like single pulse, double pulse, HFS, LFS or theta stimulation (for LTP/LTD experiments) are possible.

Electrode positions are visualized with a color GigE camera system. Drugs are applied via a 8-fold valve system including a multichannel peristaltic pump.

The SYNCHROSLICE software controls the complete experiment including stimulation, drug application, data acquisition and on-and offline analysis. Signal parameters like peak amplitudes, slopes, latencies, area under curves, etc. are determined online and displayed during the experiment. Routine viability checks guarantee a continous control of tissue healthyness. Cutoff criteria can be set by the customer to stop recordings from non viable slices.

All parameters, settings, experimental and tissue identifications or acquired data are stored on HD. Export functions allow a transfer of data into conventional spreadsheet and analysis programs.

The SYNCHROSLICE drug effect explorer was originally designed for the classical hippocampal slice preparation. However, other tissue slices from neocortex or other structures in the brain and even acute heart slices can be evaluated.

 

Features

A complete 4-channel SYNCHROSLICE system (8-channel version also available) consists of:

 

Any questions? Need a quote? Please let us know

 

Hardware

Manipulators

Because of our installed base plate it is easy to integrate nearly all kind of manipulators. Beside the most popular model MM33 there are many different types available. Also motorized manipulators pose no problem at all. Just let us know your preferences.

 

Electrodes

For high precision measurement also high precision electrodes are essential. We deliver electrodes optimized for your Synchroslice setup. Reusable over months and the lengths of tip and shaft will be adapted without additional costs. Quartz glass insulated platinum/tungsten fibre electrode (manufactured by Thomas RECORDING), Iridium-Oxide tip coating offers large charge transfer with small electrode tips, Low electrode/tissue impedance and high precision

 

 

Multiple Slice Chambers

Since the original work of Yamamoto & McIlwain (1966) on thin sections from mammalian brain, the tissue slice technique has become the most frequently used in vitro method in neuroscience research. Today, different electrophysiological recording methods find application in slices from many different excitable tissues, not only from the brain, but also from other structures (e.g. heart, kidney, etc).
The new LRE multiple tissue slice chambers are a result of our 20 year lab experiences in slice technology. The main design benefits are a simple handling, flexibility and a precise temperature control. The chambers guarantee a high stability and a vital environment for tissue slices in electrophysiological, pharmacological and biochemical studies.
The outer chambers are manufactured from Acrylic glass. Inner recordings wells are made from either Acrylic glass or chemically inert PTFE in order to avoid adhesion problems of drugs in pharmacological studies (“sticky compounds”). Modular designed chambers with 1, 2, 3 or 4 inner recording wells are available as submerged or interface type chambers. Due to their precision, LRE tissue slice chambers are used in many applications including the drug screening system “Synchroslice”.

 

General features

• Electrophysiological recordings from up to 4 slices simultaneously
• Exchangeable and combinable submerged or interface type recording chambers
• One outer bath; 1, 2, 3 or 4 recording wells of optional type
• Even customer-specific designs for inner recording chambers possible
• Precise temperature control (stability 0.1°C)
• Exchangeable PTFE (Teflon) type tubings
• Recording chambers available in different material, including chemically PTFE
• Easy cleaning of all parts possible
• Build in Ag/AgCl reference electrodes
• Base stands with flexible holders and fixations available, compatible with many commercial micromanipulators available

Our chambers allow individual setup of your experiments.

Combine different chamber inlets e.g. submerged and interface simultaneously or just use up to 4 channels with the same inlet type in one temperature controlled chamber. Even economically priced custom made inlets are available.

 

 

Software

SynchroBrain

Main
One of the basic concepts of the SynchroBrain program is its simple use.
The program can be handled without any knowledge of the exact program structure or mathematical procedures and is ideal for the routine work in the pharmacological and neurophysiologic lab. The screen of the SynchroBrain main menu is divided into different parts:
On the left side the field potentials from the recording electrodes in up to 4 slices are shown during the experiment, on the right side the detected peaks, latencies or other parameters are shown.