Clampex 10

Comprehensive Data Acquisition for Electrophysiology

Clampex is a turnkey data acquisition system for electrophysiology that fulfills many different experimental needs. It is equally suited for intracellular, extracellular and general physiology recordings. A variety of new features further extends Clampex's functionality to perform increasingly complex experiments. Both the new Digidata 1440A and prior Digidata 1320 series digitizers are fully supported for all recording modes and features. We are committed to improving your pCLAMP experience with further ease-of-use enhancements.

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Recording Modes

In order to provide the functionality required for a variety of simple and complex experimental protocols, there are five distinct recording modes in Clampex.

Episodic Stimulation mode provides synchronized stimulation and sweep recording. This mode is commonly used for whole-cell voltage clamp recordings and LTP/LTD experiments.

Gap-free mode is a simple continuous "chart-recorder" recording mode useful for monitoring of any spontaneous activity such as single-channel patch and minis.

Fixed-length Event Detection mode is suitable for spontaneous events of regular length separated by long periods of inactivity.

Variable-length Event Detection mode is designed for spontaneous events and bursts of widely-varying duration, separated by long periods of inactivity.

High-speed Oscilloscope mode works like a standard oscilloscope, with triggered fixed-length sweeps of data.

All recording modes now feature protocol creation in time units.

Overview

Stimulation

Online Analyses

Experimental results stream across the screen with Clampex. Chart analyses from eight independent search regions for online episodic statistical measurements, such as peak amplitudes, slopes, rise times, areas, etc. To easily compare measurements during online analysis, each statistic type is displayed in its own pane, and different trace colors are assigned to each search region. Statistics can even be measured across multiple input signals. For extra convenience, this "online chart view" can be duplicated in Clampfit.

Want more flexibility than just 10 - 90% Rise/Decay Time measurements? Use any combination of percentiles, such as 10 - 40% Rise, 80 - 20% Decay, etc., for the time and slope measurements you desire, especially valuable for ardiac APD analyses. A separate slope can also be calculated for any search region.

Non-episodic threshold statistics chart event frequencies, percentages and means of open time, while event modes also provide a running counter of the number of events.

LTP / LTD Experiments

Synaptic plasticity is an important mechanism in the study of memory, and often involves Long-Term Potentiation / Depression experiments of cellular pathways. Clampex allows you to conduct this important class of experiments with the help of an LTP Assistant with sample baseline and conditioning protocols to help you get started. From long-term monitoring of the preparation's baseline responses, to generating tetanic conditioning stimulation with analog or digital trains, to the continuous charting of desired parameters with multi-region statistics, Clampex does it all. For flexibility, add in interruptible sequencing keys for "on demand" conditioning stimuli, interactive cursors for fine-tuning statistics regions during recording, and alternating presynaptic stimulation between two electrodes. Follow-up with paired-pulse protocols to compare peak amplitude responses.

Cell Monitoring

Use the redesigned Membrane Test window to 1) monitor the pipette in the bath;, 2) monitor the formation of high-resistance gigohm seals between a cell and pipette; and 3) to measure cell membrane capacitance (Cm), membrane resistance (Rm), and to assess cell integrity, access resistance (Ra), all from a convenient resizable window. Each of these three stages, which matches the positions on a model cell, has its own holding level and pulse amplitude settings. For monitoring of cell parameters during acquisition, Clampex can now run the Membrane Test in the background in between sweeps and reports accurate access resistance (Ra) and membrane capacitance (Cm) measurements.

Automation

Clampex can automatically adjust its gain scaling to match the manual setting of a microelectrode amplifier, by reading special telegraph signals from the instrument. Clampex also has the power to automatically respond to a mode switch from our computer-controlled MultiClamp amplifiers, and automatically load and run an appropriate voltage- or current-clamp protocol for true convenience. The Axoclamp 900A computer-controlled amplifier has been added to our list of telegraphed instruments.

Complex experiments are easily automated with Sequencing Keys, which control the setup and timing of operations such as loading protocols and recording or viewing, setting analog and/or digital holding levels, running the Membrane test, inserting comments into the Lab Book and data file, and linking to the next operation. Other automation features include triggering data acquisition or other devices, and the automatic generation of I-V graphs in Clampfit.

Triggering

A set of digital output triggers are available in Clampex for Digidata 1440A and Digidata 1320 series digitizers to trigger other devices: a "recording in progress" trigger for the duration of episodic sweeps; and a "data exceeds threshold level" trigger for all other recording modes.

Various triggering options can be used to start acquisitions, such as triggers from external devices, signal threshold levels, and manual keyboard/mouse clicks. Oscilloscope mode also provides an autotrigger for continuous signal display. Furthermore, Clampex can respond to 'Start / Stop acquisition' software messages broadcast by other programs, including MetaFluor 7 for fluroescent ratio imaging.

Adjustments

For data integrity, use Clampex to properly offset voltage level differences between connected instruments, correct liquid junction potential errors arising from ionic solutions, compensate for passive leak currents with P/N leak subtraction, or reduce high-frequency noise spikes and slow baseline drift with high-pass and low-pass filtering. Interactively adjust holding levels, digital outs, sampling frequency and filters in View mode, and "autozero" to keep episodic data centered.

MiniDigi 1: Digital Chart Recorder

• Chart recorder
• Background recording
• Concurrent recording
• Record between sweeps
• Overall record of experiment

Want to see the overall record of your day's experiments? Or what is happening between sweeps? The MiniDigi 1 runs independently of Clampex acquisition, digitizing with AxoScope. Clampex Start/Stop tags are automatically inserted into the MiniDigi's data file.

Supports both low-pass antialiasing analog filtering and min/max filtering. Two 1 kHz 16-bit analog inputs; USB 1.1 communication. Included exclusively with pCLAMP 10 for new purchases or upgrades from pCLAMP 8 or earlier—previous pCLAMP 9 customers are already enjoying the use of this device.

Replace Lab Hardware!

Save space and money by emulating a wide variety of laboratory instruments with our versatile Digidata/MiniDigi data acquisition systems, all under computer control:

• Chart recorder (continuous gap-free recording with min/max filtering)
• Oscilloscope (oscilloscope recording mode with autotrigger)
• Stimulator (Four independent waveforms and input/output triggering options)
• Timer (automatic Trial/Run/Sweep timing or complex sequences)
• 2nd Digitizer (concurrent recording with Digidata and MiniDigi digitizers)
• AC coupling (autozero display function for episodic acquisition)
• Bandpass filter (software single-pole highpass/lowpass RC filters)
• Voice recorder (voice tags inserted into data files—click to playback)

Note that the Digidata 1200 series of digitizers are no longer supported in pCLAMP 10.