Q:Hello, When I record current of myocytes, sometimes I use leakage compensation provided by amplifier,but I donot know whether or not using this function has an big effect on my analysis outcomes?

A:The leak compensation from the amplifier dialog subtracts a linear ´leak´. The ´leak´ conductance can be adjusted manually or automatically. If ´Leak compensation´ is activated then you should be aware, that the current measurements are not absolute values anymore. Because of this and because capacitive artifacts cannot be subtracted by this type of leak subtraction, it is advised to use the P/n leak subtraction instead whenever possible.

Q: Can you tell me the purpose of design the hardware leak compensation in patch-clamp amplifier? Under which conditions I should use it and Under which condition I should not use it? I mean hardware leak compensation, not P/n correction.

A: The hardware leak compensation of the EPC 9 and EPC 10 amplifiers can help to get rid of linear (voltage-independent) currents. It is often used in ´loose patch´ experiments, where the leak current is high. The leak compensation circuit uses the inverted and scaled stimulus signal and adds it to the current monitor outputs. This reduces the current at the current monitors and allows for using higher gain setting which would cause the amplifier to saturate without leak compensation.

The leak conductance can be adjusted manually or automatically by clicking on Auto. Depending on the gain range, up to 2nS, 200nS, or 20µS of leak can be subtracted.

The leak compensation should only be used, if you know, what you are doing. Otherwise, you can easily subtract the currents you want to investigate ...

 From: http://www.heka.com/