Stereotaxic frame

On-line brain microdialysis in freely moving animals has previously been described.188 In brief, the rats were anaesthetised with midazolam (5 mg/kg s.c.), atropine nitrate (0.1 mg/kg s.c.), ketamine (50 mg/kg i.p.) and xylazine (8 mg/kg i.p.) 10% lidocaine was locally applied. The rats were then mounted into a stereotaxic frame (Kopf). The incisor bar was placed in position so that the skull was held horizontal. The skull was exposed and burr holes were drilled. A Y-shaped dialysis probe was used for the experiments, with an exposed tip length of 3 mm. The dialysis tube (ID 0.22 mm OD 0.31 mm) was prepared from... 

Shave the top of the rat s head and mount the rat in the stereotaxic frame (tooth bar 5.0 mm above interaural line see ref. 9) with lidocaine applied to the ear bars. Cover the eyes with a moistened tissue to avoid desiccation. Use a heating mattress thermostatted at TC to maintain the rat s body temperature. 

Remove the rat from the stereotaxic frame and put the animal in its cage for about 1 h on a heating mattress thermostatted at 37 C. 

Mount the rats in the stereotaxic frame to enable free breathing. Use a heating mattress to keep the rat warm (37°C). 

Stereotaxic frame with appropriate ear and incisor bars. Surgical tools. 

Mount the animal on the stereotaxic frame. When the tracer is injected in a superficial structure (i.e., the cortex), this step is chiefly aimed at fixing the head, in order to make the following surgical procedure easier. If you target a deep structure, attention must be paid to choose the proper stereotaxic coordinates and to the correct position of ear and incisor bars [38]. 

Stereotaxic surgery set up with frame, cannulae, injection units, drill, and surgical materials. 

Stereotaxically A stereotax is a device in which the head of an animal is put in a frame with scales for the three dimensions. In this way one is enabled to insert the tip of an injection needle or electrode into distinct brain regions according to the coordinates reported in a brain atlas for a given species. 

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