Measurement of complete electrical waveforms of tissue or cells

A method for observing electrical waveforms in a tissue slice by providing an apparatus which comprises at least cell culturing components, environment conditioning components for changing a culture medium or the physical or chemical property of the tissue slice, a plurality of electrodes on a substrate, said electrodes being of a sufficient number to allow detection and stimulation of electrical waveforms in said tissue slice, and a comparator, the method comprising the steps of:

• (A) culturing the tissue slice by the cell culturing components;
• (B) maintaining a first physical and chemical environment around the tissue slice by the cell culturing components;
• (C) observing a first complete electrical waveform of the tissue slice in the first physical and chemical environment by the plurality of electrodes;
• (D) changing the first physical and chemical environment to a second physical and chemical environment by the environment conditioning components;
• (E) observing a second complete electrical waveform of the tissue slice in the second physical and chemical environment by the plurality of electrodes;
• and
• (F) comparing the first electrical waveform of the tissue slice with the second electrical waveform of the tissue slice by the comparator.