In the laboratory of Pier Andrea Serra at the University of Sassari (Italy), rats go about their usual ratty lives. But these animals differ in a significant way from ordinary lab rats: they have an oxygen-sensing electrode implanted in their heads. Serra and colleagues have designed this device so that they can directly monitor the oxygen concentration in the brains of freely moving rats. The researchers describe this device in a recent AC paper (DOI 10.1021/ac802390f). The most common method for monitoring concentrations of small analytes in the extracellular fluid within brain tissue is microdialysis. In this technique, a probe with a semipermeable membrane is inserted into the tissue and allowed to equilibrate. The dialysate within the probe is then analyzed by HPLC or CE. Microdialysis, although useful, is relatively slow and is difficult to use to obtain an absolute concentration of analytes within the brain.
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机译：在意大利萨萨里大学（University of Sassari）的Pier Andrea Serra实验室中，老鼠过着平时的饥肠lives。但是这些动物与普通的实验鼠有很大的不同：它们的头上植入了一个氧感应电极。 Serra及其同事设计了这种设备，以便他们可以直接监视自由移动大鼠大脑中的氧气浓度。研究人员在最近的AC论文（DOI 10.1021 / ac802390f）中描述了该设备。监测脑组织内细胞外液中小分析物浓度的最常用方法是微透析。在该技术中，将具有半透膜的探针插入组织中并使其平衡。然后通过HPLC或CE分析探针内的透析液。微透析虽然有用，但相对较慢并且难以用于获得脑内分析物的绝对浓度。
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