The primary tools of basic neurophysiological research include electrophysiological recordings such as patch clamp and calcium imaging, as well as some of the common tools of molecular biology.

For instance, researchers using patch clamps discovered a defective ion channel as the mechanism responsible for cystic fibrosis, which is considered the most common lethal genetic disease among white people.

Erwin Neher and Bert Sakmann developed the patch clamp in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Loose patch clamp is different in that it employs a loose seal rather than the tight gigaseal used in the conventional technique.

Confirmation of ion channels came with the development of the patch clamp leading to a Nobel prize in 1991 for Erwin Neher and Bert Sakmann.

Ion channel screening (patch clamp)

Techniques: Glass microelectrodes, ion-sensitive microelectrodes, patch clamp, rapid application of drugs, standard electrophysiological techniques, such as voltage clamp and current clamp.

And the two microscopic methods that we discussed were patch clamp and planarlipid bilayers.

In vitro MEAs are less suited for recording and stimulating single cells due to their low spatial resolution compared to patch clamp and dynamic clamp systems.

While the transport can be easier investigated with patch clamp techniques, vesicles can also be isolated from objects for that the patch clamp is not applicable.