Oct 09, 2024

Public workspaceProtocols for stereotaxic injections into mouse brain and ex-vivo electrophysiology

  • Jyoti Gupta1,
  • Michael J. Higley1
  • 1Yale University
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Protocol CitationJyoti Gupta, Michael J. Higley 2024. Protocols for stereotaxic injections into mouse brain and ex-vivo electrophysiology. protocols.io https://dx.doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.n2bvjn7qpgk5/v1
License: This is an open access protocol distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License,  which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Protocol status: Working
We use this protocol and it's working
Created: September 23, 2024
Last Modified: October 10, 2024
Protocol Integer ID: 109187
Keywords: ASAPCRN
Funders Acknowledgement:
ASAP
Grant ID: ASAP-020616
Disclaimer
ETHICS DISCLAIMER

The protocols.io team notes that research involving animals and humans must be conducted according to internationally-accepted standards and should always have prior approval from an Institutional Ethics Committee or Board
Abstract
This protocol describes the method for injection of α-Synuclin PFF and monomer into the mouse brain. The second part of the protocol describes preparation of acute slices from these mice and whole-cell patch clamp recordings.
Materials
Oxygenated (95% O2/5% CO2) ice-cold choline artificial cerebrospinal fluid (Choline ACSF) containing (in mM):

AB
choline110
NaHCO325
NaH2PO41.25
KCl2.5
MgCl27
CaCl20.5
glucose20
sodium ascorbate11.6
sodium pyruvate3.1
ACSF (Temperature32 °C ) containing (in mM):

AB
NaCl127
NaHCO325
NaH2PO41.25
KCl2.5
MgCl21
CaCl22
glucose bubbled with 95% O2/5% CO220
Backfill glass electrodes (3-3.5 MΩ) with an internal solution containing (in mM):
AB
cesium gluconate126
HEPES10
sodium phosphocreatine10
magnesium chloride4
Na2ATP4
Na2GTP0.4
EGTA (pH 7.3 with cesium hydroxide)1
Protocol for stereotaxic injections
Protocol for stereotaxic injections
Anesthetize the mouse with isoflurane by placing in the anesthesia chamber.
Place the anesthetized mouse in the stereotaxic frame and continually maintain isoflurane anesthesia using a vaporizer (Harvard Apparatus).
Locate the injection sites relative to bregma and make holes into the skull using a drill.
Lower the injection pipette into the brain at the predetermined coordinates. Perform the injection at a rate of 20 nL/s using a Nanoject III microinjector (Drummond Scientific).
Pipetting
Following the injection, leave the pipette in place for 10 minutes to prevent backflow while withdrawing.
Pipetting
Seal the incisions with sutures and allow the mice to recover on a heating pad until conscious.
Continue to monitor the mice and administer the post-operative analgesia.
Protocol for acute slice preparation and electrophysiology
Protocol for acute slice preparation and electrophysiology
30m
30m
Anesthetize the mouse with isoflurane.
Transcardially perfuse the anesthetized mouse with oxygenated (95% O2/5% CO2) ice-cold choline artificial cerebrospinal fluid (Choline ACSF) containing (in mM):

AB
choline110
NaHCO325
NaH2PO41.25
KCl2.5
MgCl27
CaCl20.5
glucose20
sodium ascorbate11.6
sodium pyruvate3.1

Decapitated the mouse and quickly remove the brain.
Mount the brain in the vibratome and cut 300 μm thick slices in the coronal plane.
Transfer the slices to warm ACSF (Temperature32 °C ) containing (in mM):

AB
NaCl127
NaHCO325
NaH2PO41.25
KCl2.5
MgCl21
CaCl22
glucose bubbled with 95% O2/5% CO220


Temperature
After incubating at Temperature32 °C for Duration00:30:00 , transfer the slices to TemperatureRoom temperature (RT).

30m
Incubation
Temperature
Transfer the slices to the slice chamber that is perfused with oxygenated ACSF.
Identify layer 2/3 pyramidal cells in the primary somatosensory cortex.
Backfill glass electrodes (3-3.5 MΩ) with an internal solution containing (in mM):

AB
cesium gluconate126
HEPES10
sodium phosphocreatine10
magnesium chloride4
Na2ATP4
Na2GTP0.4
EGTA (pH 7.3 with cesium hydroxide)1

Add Concentration1 micromolar (µM) tetrodotoxin to the bath to record miniature postsynaptic currents.

Pipetting
Voltage-clamp the cells at -70mV to record miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) and at 0mV to record miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs).

Note
All protocols were carried out in accordance with Yale IACUC guidelines.