Making Electrodes

A good tutorial video on how to use a multimeter before making electrodes.

2006 Soldering Guide.pdf

Extracellular Electrodes

*Make sure to unplug the soldering iron and fan when done!! This keeps the soldering iron from burning out!*

The banana plug with the soldered electrode leads wires.

Unplug the soldering iron!!!

Intracellular Electrodes

Pippette Cookbook 2018.pdf

Suction Electrodes

What are suction electrodes and why would you use them?

Suction electrodes are extracellular electrodes that attach directly to the nerve via suction adhesion and can both record electrical activity and stimulate nerves. The electrode is housed inside a tubing exterior with saline to create an electrically isolated environment where it attaches to the nerve. Normally, to record extracellularly you’d make a vaseline well to electrically isolate the portion of the nerve you want to record from. However, if you have a preparation with intact muscle (i.e. an entire heart) you’d want to use suction electrodes. Otherwise, as the preparation’s muscles move they would destroy the vaseline well and the signal would no longer be electrically isolated.

Extracellular Electrode Construction


Making Suction Electrode Tips


Assembling Suction Electrode

Please refer to the images below to clarify the following description of the order of connections for the suction electrode.


What the entire assembled electrode looks like (without the support rod to affix it to a micromanipulator).

Close-up of the syringe end of the electrode with the fitting and 3-way Luer-lock stopcock that connects it to the tubing.

Close-up of the electrode end of the assembled suction electrode. 

SuctionElectrode.pdf
SuctionElectrode2.pdf