Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
BMC Neurosci. 2013 Aug 6;14:82. doi: 10.1186/1471-2202-14-82.
Electrical stimulation of brain structures has been widely used in rodent models for kindling or modeling deep brain stimulation used clinically. This requires surgical implantation of intracranial electrodes and subsequent chronic stimulation in individual animals for several weeks. Anchoring screws and dental acrylic have long been used to secure implanted intracranial electrodes in rats. However, such an approach is limited when carried out in mouse models as the thin mouse skull may not be strong enough to accommodate the anchoring screws. We describe here a screw-free, glue-based method for implanting bipolar stimulating electrodes in the mouse brain and validate this method in a mouse model of hippocampal electrical kindling.
Male C57 black mice (initial ages of 6-8 months) were used in the present experiments. Bipolar electrodes were implanted bilaterally in the hippocampal CA3 area for electrical stimulation and electroencephalographic recordings. The electrodes were secured onto the skull via glue and dental acrylic but without anchoring screws. A daily stimulation protocol was used to induce electrographic discharges and motor seizures. The locations of implanted electrodes were verified by hippocampal electrographic activities and later histological assessments.
Using the glue-based implantation method, we implanted bilateral bipolar electrodes in 25 mice. Electrographic discharges and motor seizures were successfully induced via hippocampal electrical kindling. Importantly, no animal encountered infection in the implanted area or a loss of implanted electrodes after 4-6 months of repetitive stimulation/recording.
We suggest that the glue-based, screw-free method is reliable for chronic brain stimulation and high-quality electroencephalographic recordings in mice. The technical aspects described this study may help future studies in mouse models.
电刺激脑结构已广泛应用于啮齿动物模型中的点燃或模拟临床上使用的深部脑刺激。这需要在颅内植入电极，并在个体动物中进行数周的慢性刺激。锚固螺钉和牙托粉长期以来一直用于固定大鼠颅内植入的电极。然而，当在小鼠模型中进行时，这种方法受到限制，因为薄的鼠颅骨可能不足以容纳锚固螺钉。我们在这里描述了一种无螺钉、基于胶水的方法，用于在小鼠脑中植入双极刺激电极，并在海马电点燃的小鼠模型中验证了这种方法。
本实验使用雄性 C57 黑鼠（初始年龄为 6-8 个月）。双极电极被双侧植入海马 CA3 区进行电刺激和脑电图记录。电极通过胶水和牙托粉固定在颅骨上，但没有锚固螺钉。采用每日刺激方案诱导脑电图放电和运动性发作。通过海马脑电图活动和随后的组织学评估验证植入电极的位置。
使用基于胶水的植入方法，我们成功地在 25 只小鼠中植入了双侧双极电极。通过海马电点燃成功诱导了脑电图放电和运动性发作。重要的是，在重复刺激/记录 4-6 个月后，没有动物在植入区域感染或植入电极丢失。
我们认为，基于胶水的无螺钉方法可靠，可用于慢性脑刺激和小鼠的高质量脑电图记录。本研究中描述的技术方面可能有助于未来的小鼠模型研究。
