A "passive" clamp is an oxymoron. It really means that you are clamping the
membrane potential of the cell at its resting potential. Therefore, you
change the cell potential by 0 mV and thus the term "passive" clamp is used.
It isn't really or truly a passive condition because the current you see or
measure (the EPSC) is the actual the current the voltage amplifier had to
deliver to maintain the cell at fixed potential.
Hope that helps,
Neil
"Xiaoshen Li" <xli6 at gmu.edu> wrote in message
news:c08fgr$pm9 at portal.gmu.edu...
> Hi,
> I have an electrophysiology question. I read somewhere "somatic EPSCs
> under passive voltage clamp conditions...". What is "passive voltage
> clamp"? I am always confused EPSC and EPSP. In voltage clamp condition,
> are we measuring EPSCs?
>> Thank you very much for your help.
>> Best Regards,
> Xiaoshen
>