There are several manual methods that can be used to perform tissue microdissection. Techniques using hand-held tools as well as mechanical micromanipulator-based approaches have been described. However, speed and precision are the most important parameters and any method that achieves these is adequate. Investigators should also expect to invest time initially by practicing on 10 to 20 cases to begin to feel comfortable with the technique. - [Read Manual Microdissection]
The cell-attached capacitance recording technique is a powerful technique that has been successfully used to resolve single vesicle fusion and fusion pore conductance. This technique, however, has not been applied to synapses because of the difficulty in accessing release sites. Here, we developed a technique to expose release sites in a large nerve terminal, the calyx of Held, which contains clear-core glutamatergic vesicles. - [Read The Cell Attached Capacitance Recording Technique]