title: A reversible preparation for observing the behavior of fetal rats in utero: spinal anesthesia with lidocaine.
abstract: A technique is described whereby lidocaine with epinephrine is injected into the spinal cord of the pregnant rat to produce reversible spinal anesthesia. This technique is useful for preparing pregnant females to study the spontaneous behavior of their fetuses in utero. Comparison of this procedure with an alternative, but irreversible, spinal preparation (chemomyelotomy) indicates that reversible lidocaine anesthesia does not differentially influence the activity of rat fetuses on Day 19 of gestation. This procedure will enable repeated observation of the same fetus at various stages of gestation and provide a means for the longitudinal study of behavioral development across the transition from prenatal to postnatal life.
mesh_terms: D000775:Anesthesia, Spinal; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D005324:Fetal Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D005865:Gestational Age; D008012:Lidocaine; D008954:Models, Biological; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D008012:Lidocaine