[Hplusroadmap] Implanting electrodes in mice

[ameluti at gmail.com]

Hey, my first post here;

Anyway, I've been fiddling with some electronics and stimulating electrodes
for a while and I think I'm going to have a basic device finished soon. What
I plan to do is to implant it into a mouse and see if I can stimulate the
nucleus accumbens to make it feel pleasure at the push of a button.

Now, the thing is that I'm going to perform this on a *living mouse, *and
since I've never dissected a breathing organism before, I'd like to hear
some suggestions on how to proceed with the surgery, as it would be awfully
embarrassing if I realized halfway through the operation that I forgot to
obtain some necessary tool.

I intend to make an incision at the skin on the head, then drill a small
hole in the skull. Afterwards I'll insert the electrode inside the brain,
turn on the current and see if the mouse reacts to it in any way. Since the
area I seek is quite small I expect that I'll need to poke around the brain
for a bit before I find the necessary spot. After that I'll need to secure
the electrode there (dental cement?).

Is there anything here that I'm missing out? Would I need something other
than a drill and a scalpel?
How can I secure the mouse to prevent it from moving? What kind of
anesthetic should I use to prevent the mouse from feeling pain, but make
sure that it's still responsive to electric stimulation of the brain?

Finally, how can I minimize the risk of infection within the mouse, both
short term and long term? And if there *is *going to be an infection, what
are the signs and how soon will it appear?

Hope to hear some replies soon,

~Z
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