Intact In Vitro Preparations of the Neonatal Rodent Cortex: Analysis of Cellular Properties and Network Activity

In vitro preparations of one whole hippocampus or one entire neocortical hemisphere (so-called intact preparations) combine the technical possibilities of conventional in vitro slice preparations with the advantage of a preserved intrinsic connectivity of a defined brain region. The initiation and propagation of spontaneous or experimentally induced network activity can be studied with various electrophysiological techniques from the single cell level to large neuronal networks. The good control of the extracellular milieu allows in-depth neuropharmacological analyses on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying physiological or pathophysiological network activity. This chapter aims to give an overview on the prospects and limitations of intact in vitro preparations of the newborn rodent cortex.