Electrophysiological Evaluation of Synaptic Plasticity in Injured CNS

Brain ischemia and injuries often cause alterations in short- and long-term synaptic plasticity, which underlies impaired brain functions, such as learning and memory deficit and epilepsy. Field potential recording (FPR) and whole-cell patch clamp recording are electrophysiological techniques frequently used for evaluating synaptic plasticity. The FPR technique can measure synaptic activity generated from a population of activated neurons while patch clamp recording allows assessment of changes in synaptic plasticity in individual neurons. This chapter introduces the application of different electrophysiological techniques, typical procedures for neocortical and hippocampal slice preparation, FPR, and protocols for evaluating short- and long-term synaptic plasticity in brain ischemia and injuries.