In-house fabrication of bipolar electrode-cannula assembly for electrical stimulation and drug delivery at the same site in rat brain.
J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods
; 118: 107194, 2022.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35779851
ABSTRACT
Strategies drawn at understanding the functional attributes of specific neural circuits often necessitate electrical stimulation and pharmacological manipulation at the same anatomical site. We describe a simple, inexpensive and reliable method to fabricate a bipolar electrode-cannula assembly for delivery of electric pulses and administration of neuroactive agents at the same site in the rat brain. The assembly consisting of a guide cannula, dummy cannula, internal cannula and bipolar electrode was fabricated using syringe needles, wires and simple electronic components. To test the usefulness of the device, it was implanted on the skull of a rat specifically targeting the posterior ventral tegmental area (pVTA). The rat was conditioned to press the lever in intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) protocol in an operant chamber. The number of lever presses in a 30 min task was monitored. Intra-pVTA administration with bicuculline (GABAA receptor antagonist) increased the lever press activity, while muscimol (GABAA receptor agonist) had opposite effect. The results confirm that the group of neurons responding to the electrical stimulation probably receive GABAergic inputs. The device is light in weight, costs less than a dollar and can be fabricated from readily available components. It can serve a useful purpose in electrically stimulating any given target in the brain - before, during or after pharmacological manipulation at the same locus and may find application in neuropharmacological and neurobehavioral studies.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Receptors, GABA-A
/
Cannula
Limits:
Animals
Language:
En
Journal:
J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods
Journal subject:
FARMACOLOGIA
/
TOXICOLOGIA
Year:
2022
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
India