The patch clamp technique involves the use of a glass micropipette with a very fine tip to make a tight seal with the cell membrane. Once the seal is formed, different configurations can be used to measure electrical activity:
Cell-attached mode: The pipette remains attached to the cell membrane, allowing the measurement of currents through individual ion channels. Whole-cell mode: The membrane under the pipette tip is ruptured, allowing measurement of the total ionic current across the cell membrane. Inside-out and outside-out patches: These configurations allow the study of the intracellular or extracellular environment's effects on ion channel activity.
