Retrograde tracing, optogenetic manipulation, fiber photometry, cell-specific electrophysiology… Neuroscientists benefit from an increasingly wide range of tools to image and study the activity of neuronal populations. All these experiments rely on the same crucial step: intracerebral surgery. These procedures require specific equipment, from the stereotaxic instruments to the anesthesia methods.

Traditionally carried out through injection, the anesthesia is nowadays mostly performed with the inhalation of anesthetic gas, thanks to its rapid induction and limited recovery time. However, surgical procedures can sometimes be challenging when they are conducted on neonatal mice. A team from Cambridge (Hinze Ho et al.) has decided to tackle this issue by developing its own protocol to control the anesthesia of P0-2 mice. Combined with the design of an anesthetization mould, this method ensures an improved recovery for the rodents.

Access to the research article following this link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108824.

Description of the surgery procedure - Hinze Ho et al.