Obtaining acute brain slices for electrophysiology or amperometric recordings has become a routine procedure in most labs in the field of neuroscience. Yet, protocols describing the step by step process are scarce, in particular for routine acute preparations such as from the mouse hippocampus. Here we provide a detailed protocol for the dissection, extraction and acute slicing of the mouse brain, including tips and list of material required.

Kavalactones are a class of lactone compounds found in Kava, a traditional beverage from the South Pacific Islands that is derived from the root of Piper methysticum. When consumed, these compounds produce sedative and anxiolytic effects, suggesting their potent actions on the nervous system. Here, we provide a protocol to examine the effects of kavalactones on C. elegans neuromuscular excitability. Our methodology could provide insight into the neurophysiological actions of kavalactones.

Primary microglia, in either mono-culture or co-culture with neurons or astrocytes, are a powerful tool for studying mechanisms underlying microglial inflammatory responses and cell type-specific interactions in the central nervous system (CNS). This protocol provides the details of how to prepare high purity primary microglia from newborn mouse pups. The overall steps include brain cell dissociation, mixed glial cell culture, and microglia isolation.

Measuring leaf relative water content (RWC) is a reliable and simple way to assess the water status of a leaf without any need for special equipment. Similar to leaf water potential, leaf RWC gives a strong indication of the plant’s response to different environmental conditions; yet RWC has been shown to be a more stable parameter than leaf water potential (Sade et al., 2009; Sade et al., 2012). Although measuring RWC is destructive to the leaf, with proper planning, it need not affect the plant’s behavior. This note will focus on three different model plants which are representative of plants with various leaf shapes (e.g., Arabidopsis, tomato and barley). The technique for measuring RWC is the same for all three of these species (as well as for plants with many other types of leaves).