Journal article
Preparation of an Awake Mouse for Recording Neural Responses and Injecting Tracers
Journal of Visualized Experiments, (64), p.1
2012
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/107620
PMCID: PMC3476382
PMID: 22781848
Abstract
It is well known that anesthesia alters neural response properties in various regions of the brain.13. In the auditory system, fundamental response properties of brainstem neurons including threshold, frequency specificity, and inhibitory sidebands are altered in significant ways under anesthesia1-2. These observations prompted physiologists to seek ways to record from single neurons without the contaminating effects of anesthesia. One result was a decerebrate preparation, where the brainstem was completely transected at the level of the midbrain4. The drawbacks of this preparation are a formidable surgery, the elimination of descending projections from the forebrain, and an inability to use sensory stimulation to examine structures above the midbrain. A different strategy has been to implant electrode arrays chronically to record from single neurons and multiunit clusters while the animal is awake and/or behaving5,6. These techniques however are not compatible with injecting tracer dyes after first electrophysiologically characterizing a brain structure. To avoid altering neural response properties with anesthetics while recording electrophysiological response properties from single neurons, we have adapted a head restraint technique long used in bats7-9 to mouse10-12. Using this method, we are able to conduct electrophysiological recordings over several days in the unanesthetized mouse. At the end of the recording sessions, we can then inject a dye to reconstruct electrode positions and recording sites or inject a tracer so that pathways to and from the recording loci can be determined. This method allows for well isolated single neuron recordings over multiple days without the use anesthetics.
Metrics
4 Record Views
Details
- Title
- Preparation of an Awake Mouse for Recording Neural Responses and Injecting Tracers
- Creators
- Michael A Muniak - Garvan Institute of Medical ResearchZachary M Mayko - School of Biological Sciences, Washington State UniversityDavid K Ryugo - Department of Otolaryngology-HNS, Johns Hopkins UniversityChristine V Portfors - School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University
- Publication Details
- Journal of Visualized Experiments, (64), p.1
- Academic Unit
- Office of the Provost
- Publisher
- MyJove Corporation
- Identifiers
- 99900547456301842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article