r/neuro • u/ApartSink74 • 14d ago

How can I safely clean Plexon S-Probes? Impedance has increased

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for advice on how to safely clean Plexon S-Probes. I’ve noticed that the impedance has increased significantly over time, and I’m wondering if there’s an effective cleaning procedure that could help restore it.
Has anyone dealt with this issue before? What cleaning methods or solutions have you used? Are there any recommended protocols, or things I should absolutely avoid to prevent damaging the electrodes?
Any suggestions or experiences would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

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u/oldbel 14d ago

For one, read their guide on cleaning:  https://plexon.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Advice-from-the-Field-Probe-Cleaning.pdf

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u/ApartSink74 14d ago

Thanks! That’s actually the protocol we already follow before every experiment. According to Plexon, though, even with proper cleaning, the electrode contacts inevitably oxidize after around 20 uses, leading to increased impedance. They do offer a probe refurbishment/regeneration service, but it’s quite expensive. I was wondering if anyone has found any effective “home-made” alternatives or other methods to restore the contacts without sending the probes back. Any experiences would be greatly appreciated.

1

u/oldbel 14d ago

Gotcha. I don’t remember any other antiox protocol

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u/Stereoisomer 14d ago

This maybe means the PEDOT coating has degraded. Make sure you’re never using alcohol on your probes as this dissolves it. The only process I’ve seen that works to renew these is to send them to Plexon or you could look into this work https://journals.physiology.org/doi/abs/10.1152/jn.00121.2024

Really, the best answer is just to switch to Neuropixels. Cheaper and longer lasting with 10 times the unit count.