State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, PR China.
J Neurosci Methods. 2010 Nov 30;193(2):203-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2010.07.039. Epub 2010 Aug 6.
The accurate implantation of microelectrodes is a significant difficulty facing many neurophysiologists. This paper reports on a new method used to promote the precise positioning of electrode implantation through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), allowing both the relevant brain structure and the MRI-visible external markers anchored on the skull (in this case rigid glass tubes with a 0.5mm internal diameter) to be displayed. By referencing these markers, the coordinates of the brain target were calculated. Using this novel approach, recording electrodes were successfully implanted into the superior colliculus (SC) of rhesus monkeys, with an error <1mm, and its neuronal discharge signals were obtained. This new method allows neurophysiologists to precisely target the small deep brain structures of monkeys and study their electrophysiological characteristics in detail.
微电极的精确植入是许多神经生理学家面临的一个重大难题。本文报道了一种新方法，通过磁共振成像（MRI）来促进电极植入的精确定位，使相关的脑结构和 MRI 可见的外部标记（在这种情况下是固定在颅骨上的刚性玻璃管，内径为 0.5 毫米）都能显示出来。通过参考这些标记，可以计算出脑目标的坐标。使用这种新方法，成功地将记录电极植入恒河猴的上丘（SC），误差小于 1 毫米，并获得了其神经元放电信号。这种新方法使神经生理学家能够精确瞄准猴子的小深部脑结构，并详细研究它们的电生理特征。
