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In vivo patch recording is an important technique to elucidate the synaptic mechanisms of cortical function.We have recently developed this technique in the lab,and here we present preliminary results on characterizing the synaptic responses of rat visual cortical neurons in vivo.Both spontaneous and visually-evoked responses were analyzed.In the absence of visual stimulation,some neurons exhibited highly dynamic membrane potential fluctuation at 2-8 Hz.Neurons in the superficial layers showed more dynamic fluctuations than those in deeper layers,suggesting that the spontaneous membrane potential fluctuations depend on synaptic inputs in the visual circuits.Under stimulation of flash light,out of 16 cells recorded,5 cells (31%) exhibited increase and 5 cells (31%) decrease in fin-ing rate.The balance of the two types of neurons may have important roles in detecting either increase or decrease of light in the visual environments of rats.