Faraday Cage

Research need:   Electrophysiological recordings of living cells can provide valuable information about the actions of neurotransmitters, the effects of drugs, or connections between cells.  Electrophysiologists use extremely sensitive equipment to identify and amplify the minute electrical currents within individual cells.  Electrical interference—fields generated by nearby computers, lights, or even from electrical wiring inside walls—can introduce artifacts in the recordings.  Faraday cages are an elegantly simple solution for eliminating the effects of electrical interference.  By enclosing the recording setup in conductive mesh, stray fields are neutralized and the integrity of the recordings is preserved.  This Indiana University researcher required a custom-built Faraday cage that conformed to the dimensions of the recording apparatus.