Cell drainage

The cell derivative or single cell derivative is the measurement of electrical activity of a cell , usually a nerve cell by means of an electrode . There are different forms of cell derivation.

In general, a distinction is made between acute and chronic discharge.
For acute recording, either a tissue sample is used or the electrode (s) is stabbed into the nerve tissue of an anesthetized test animal. Depending on the number of cells whose activity is measured, one speaks of single-cell or multicell leads. The single cell leads include the extracellular lead (with single electrodes or multi-electrode arrays ) and the patch clamp technique .

In chronic lead, electrodes are implanted in areas of the brain of interest. This makes it possible to study the activity of the nerve cells in the conscious animal while it is exposed to certain stimuli, for example, or solves certain problems. This technique makes it possible to study the role of the nerve cells in a brain area for certain (including cognitive) functions.

Leads are also of great importance in neurosurgery , specifically for the precise localization of disease foci, in particular in epilepsy surgery , and for testing functionality.

The single cell derivation was established in the 1920s by Edgar Adrian, 1st Baron Adrian .