Lomber S G, Payne B R, Horel J A
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, MA 02118, USA.
J Neurosci Methods. 1999 Jan;86(2):179-94. doi: 10.1016/s0165-0270(98)00165-4.
We describe a very adaptable reversible inactivation technique for the behavioral or electrophysiological analysis of neural circuits. The cryoloop device can be permanently implanted or topically applied in an acute preparation to apply cold to discrete surface regions of the central nervous system (e.g. cerebral cortex or midbrain). The cryoloop consists of a custom shaped, stainless steel, hypodermic tubing and cooling is effected by passing chilled methanol through the lumen of the tubing. Cryoloop temperature is monitored by a microthermocouple attached to the union of the loop, and can be maintained within +/- 1 degrees C of a desired temperature. In chronic preparations, implanted cryoloops have been maintained in cats and monkeys for periods in excess of 2 years. After this period there are no structural, metabolic of functional changes in the deactivated tissue, and full reversibility of cooling-induced effects is maintained. Operation of multiple cryoprobes provides great flexibility of experimental protocols, permits double and triple functional dissociations to be made, and strengthens experimental design considerably.
我们描述了一种适应性很强的可逆失活技术，用于神经回路的行为或电生理分析。冷冻环装置可以永久植入，也可在急性实验准备中局部应用，以对中枢神经系统的离散表面区域（如大脑皮层或中脑）施加低温。冷冻环由定制形状的不锈钢皮下导管组成，通过将冷却的甲醇通入导管内腔来实现冷却。冷冻环温度由连接在环接口处的微型热电偶监测，可维持在所需温度的±1℃范围内。在慢性实验准备中，植入的冷冻环已在猫和猴子体内维持了超过2年的时间。在此期间，失活组织没有结构、代谢或功能变化，并且冷却诱导效应保持完全可逆。多个冷冻探头的操作提供了极大的实验方案灵活性，允许进行双重和三重功能分离，并显著加强了实验设计。
