[Hplusroadmap] Implanting electrodes in mice

[Eugen Leitl]

On Mon, Feb 11, 2008 at 02:54:35PM +0000, ameluti at gmail.com wrote:
> 
>    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,

Run, don't walk to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_testing_regulations
and obtain the applicable documents for rodents in your jurisdictions.
Depending on where you are, animal experimentation by private citizens
might be frowned upon.

In general, you will need an inhalation anaesthetic, such as halothane.
You will need to follow sterile technique. Make sure you learn how to euthanize
mice properly (use a commercial guillotine, or learn to break their
necks quickly). There will be surprises.

I recommend you apprentice in a rodent lab to learn the basics.
If you can't do it, pay a veterinarian to do it, and watch closely.

>    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.

The way you address this experiment (by asking on the internets before
you jump in) does not inspire me with confidence. I'd frankly wish you'd
abstain, until you know what you're doing. The only real way is to do
it in the lab.

>    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.

"poke around"? Please tell me you're just trolling.

>    After that I'll need to secure the electrode there (dental cement?).

Epoxy would be fine.

>    Is there anything here that I'm missing out? Would I need something
>    other than a drill and a scalpel?

What do you think will happen after the anaesthetic wears off (you *have* planned
the anaesthetic in, did you?)?

>    How can I secure the mouse to prevent it from moving? What kind of

You want to observe a behaving animal, I thought.

>    anesthetic should I use to prevent the mouse from feeling pain, but

Allright, you did think about that, at least.

>    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,

-- 
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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