User:Clarahkim14/Sucrose Gap Project Proposal

Created by Clara Kim, Ellen Keenan, and Michael Emmerling.

This is the project proposal for our topic, sucrose gap.

Introduction

 * Technique used to study the activities and functions of neurons
 * Provides measurement of current changes in cells or axons

History

 * First proposed by R. Stampfli in 1954
 * We will discuss other scientists and experiments who have contributed to the development of this technique

Method

 * Single sucrose gap apparatus
 * Double sucrose gap apparatus
 * Can be used with voltage clamp

Applications

 * Used to study the effects of different drugs on muscle and nerve cell membrane activity in vitro
 * Used in pharmacological studies of adult mammalian spinal cords
 * Used to improve Compound action potential (CAP) recording by minimizing extracellular shunting

Current Research

 * Used to study cardiac muscle cells with the double sucrose gap voltage clamp technique
 * Used to study frog atrial muscle- showed experimental limitations of the technique

Advantages

 * Simpler than other techniques
 * Less expensive
 * Ability to obtain measurements from very small cells without damaging them

Limitations

 * Does not provide real values of action potential amplitudes; only relative changes
 * Cannot be used to record potentials in tissues with low spatial constants
 * Possible disruptions of action potentials due to procedure

Division of Workload
We will spend our first couple meetings discussing and reviewing all the sources so that we all have a good understanding of our topic as a whole. Then we will assign particular sections for each group member to focus on and research in more detail. We will meet weekly to discuss our assigned sections, resolve any possible problems, and to edit each other's writing. We will schedule meetings and due dates to ensure that we are all equally contributing to this project.