Category Archive

Forced to Teach while in Graduate school? Take advantage of the System Teaching takes away from research, but here are some ways to get the most out of your assistantship. I was naïve when I started graduate school. No one in my family had gone to college much less graduate … Read More

Overall conclusion: pMAT is more user friendly, but GuPPY has more options and flexibility Summary Comparison Table   One of the major hurdles for a lab performing fiber photometry is data analysis. Using and applying an isosbestic control requires a complex set of mathematics and understanding how to do this … Read More

Being a researcher demands a lot from a person. One neuroscientist revealed in a Nature article how she works countless hours a day. As a result, her work and mental health suffered from burnout. Over time, however, she eventually learned how to work around her schedule, so that she always has time … Read More

There has been a lot of discussions on Twitter and other platforms about graduate students and post-docs transitioning from academia to industry. Are trainees leaving for better salaries or work life balance? Are they walking away from academia because of toxic lab situations or lack of support? Several members of … Read More

It has been said, an informed consumer is the best customer. At Plexon Inc, our goal is for users to be as informed as possible, such that they can ask and answer interesting and unique research questions with equipment purchased by Plexon Inc. To meet that goal, we periodically generate … Read More

Are you thinking about adding optogenetics to your lab? There is no shortage of articles discussing light sources and fiber optics, however the sheer volume of information itself can be overwhelming, in particular since so many sources of information cover a wide range of applications, from telecommunications to two-photon imaging. … Read More

Thanksgiving in America is coming up this week, a perfect time to start thinking about showing appreciation and thanks to coworkers in the lab or in the workplace. Even outside of the United States, as we approach the end of a tumultuous year, it would do us all good to … Read More

Linear Probe Discussion with Prof. Dr. Pascal Fries   My question is for beginners, which probe would you recommend for optogenetic stimulations, and how many channels are minimum for reasonable recordings? “So I guess this now pertains to the laminar probes from Plexon, we have clearly the best experience with … Read More

  A poor ground or reference connection will cause large amplitude noise, which will completely drown out the electrophysiological signal. The noise is wide-band, but is usually particularly strong at 50/60Hz and its harmonics   Trouble-shooting noise problems in electrophysiological recordings can seem like black magic; it often seems like … Read More

Data from fluorescent calcium indicators is always reported as a ratio: ΔF/F. This is the same from dyes like Fura-2 to genetically encoded indicators like GcAMP and RcAMP. In my transition from graduate school to my postdoc position, I also made the transition from in vivo electrophysiological recording to fiber … Read More