In Vivo Whole-Cell Recordings

The introduction of whole-cell, patch clamp recordings in vivo has allowed measuring the synaptic (excitatory and inhibitory) inputs and the spike output from molecularly or anatomically identified neurons. Combining this technique with two-photon microscopy also allows to optically target such recordings to the different subtypes of inhibitory cells (e.g., soma- and dendrite targeting), as well as to measure dendritic integration of synaptic inputs in vivo. Here we summarize the potentialities and describe the critical steps to successfully apply such an informative technique to the study of the physiology and plasticity of brain microcircuits in the living, intact brain