A simple procedure for the isolation of neurons from the CA1 and CA3 region of the postnatal rat hippocampus.

A procedure was developed for the isolation of pyramidal neurons from defined regions (CA1, CA3) of the postnatal rat hippocampus. By a quantitative approach the influence of various parameters (pO2,glucose, enzymes, temperature, buffers, [Ca++]0, mechanical isolation) was evaluated on number and state of viability of the isolated cells using the nigrosine exclusion test and considering the neurons' morphological features. Cell viability of disaggregated Ca1- and CA3-neurons was compared. These isolated neurons are well suited for whole-cell patch-clamp measurements as well as for pharmacological investigations.