Brain monitoring robot could shed light on Alzheimers’

Whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology, or whole-cell recording (WCR), has been used since the 1970s to study neurons in mammal brains. By looking at the electrical activity of individual neurons in a live brain, the technique can be used to build a picture of the function of the entire organ.

However, because of the small scale of the equipment and the microscopic nature of the cells involved, WCR is notoriously challenging to perform. It also requires very precise movements to find neurons and then record their electrical currents accurately. Therefore only a small number of laboratories worldwide specialise in the technique.

In an effort to address these limitations the Imperial team, led by Prof Simon Schultz and Dr Luca Annecchino, has developed a robot and computer programme that can guide tiny measuring devices called micropipettes to specific neurons in the brains of live mice and record electrical currents, all without human intervention. This is the first reported fully automated platform to do this.