A method for accurate determination of stereotaxic coordinates in single-unit recording studies in monkeys by high-resolution three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging.

For single-unit recording from the brain in monkeys, the precise determination of recording targets is essential. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used recently in several laboratories, it has been difficult to obtain three-dimensional information on a target from two-dimensional pictures, and, therefore, it has also been difficult to determine precise coordinates. We developed a new method for precisely determining target-area coordinates based on reconstructed rendering pictures made from three-dimensional MRI data. We also combined this method with magnetic resonance angiography to avoid severe vessel complications in recording experiments.