Hi Ricardo,

I can offer some first hand experience with the system. However, I'd like to state that I used to work in the lab next door to Steve Kerr. He proof read my PhD thesis. So perhaps I am a little bias. I don't think I am bias, but still.

Where the Kerr system has its strength is in it's robustness and reliability. I used to a run a teaching lab where I would have about a dozen of them running, with students conducting experiments. No Faraday cage, no anti-vibration table. Except when one of the students physically banged the tables or the rig, the experiments always worked. We had students performing their own experiments by the end of the week.

In regards to the amplifier, there is nothing particularly tricky in the electronics behind a voltage follower. Indeed, you can make your own, animal research grade amplifier from a single chip these days (e.g. the AD8220 if you're interested). With that in mind, there is no reason to think that there would be anything wrong with the Kerr amplifier. However, I'm sure it would be trivial for you to run it through some tests if you have a signal generator. If you had any doubts, I'm sure you could talk to Steve Kerr, and see if he can send you demo unit.

 Hi Willian, thanks for the advice. I do not believe there is any problem with the amplifier, my main concern is about the reliability o the system in a long term, quality of the circuits, etc... . Based on what you told me, that students use the system in a routine basis, I believe the system should be robust and reliable, 

Hi Ricardo,

I'd reccomend OpenEphys for anything extracellular - you have 32 channels for ~2700 euros and it works great! I can send you some neural probes to test it with. You can find more information on http://www.open-ephys.org/ and https://goo.gl/Egni8V for the store.

Open ephys wiki: https://goo.gl/KePoZR

Hope it helps,

Romeo

Ricardo, looks like I'm a little late to the game on this, but we regularly use multiple Kerr systems for our field recording studies on hippocampal syanptic strength and plasticity. The Kerr system is incredibly easy to set up, has a small foot-print, and is student-friendly. We've been very happy with our systems and would likely buy another if the workload demanded it.

Hello,

I also have the Kerr Scientific for hippocampal slice recordings. I use 2-3 months old mice and I am finding trouble finding a field. Occasionally I see a fiber volley but no field. Noise is very small as well. Usually I use a regular field recording setup and I can find a field almost immediately. I was wondering whether it was because of the metal electrodes used on mice slices? Anyone used the Kerr scientific with mice ?

I would appreciate any tips.

Thank you.

Hi Alice, we use the KSI with mice (Sompol et al 2017 J Neurosci

37:6132 Fig 6) and rats (Pleiss et al 2016 Biochim Biophys Acta 1862:1521 Fig 6). The field potentials and EPTP-FV ratio in the KSI are generally smaller on average then what we've seen in the past with interface chambers, and submersible RC22 chambers. That said, PPF and % LTP are about the same. The smaller FP could have something to so with the larger surface area of the metal electrode, as you suggest. It would be easy enough to adapt ACSF-filled glass electrodes to the system to see if it makes much of a difference.

Thank you very much for your fast reply and valuable suggestion:) Yes, I guess it is definitely worth it to adapt glass electrodes and see.