title: A hypothermic miniaturized stereotaxic instrument for surgery in newborn rats.
abstract: We describe a simple, scaled-down instrument which enables accurate, reproducible stereotaxic placements into specific sites in the brain of the newborn rat. The instrument is specially designed for the administration of long-term hypothermia, yet permits the use of alternative methods of anesthesia. The design of the head-stabilizing mechanism allows head positioning to be finely adjusted to achieve precise horizontal and vertical zero planes. This adaptability also allows the device to accommodate a large range of animal sizes and levels of maturity. Furthermore, the apparatus can be fitted onto a conventional adult stereotaxic frame or used by itself in combination with a free-standing manipulator. As a model preparation, we describe a procedure for stereotaxic surgery in the post-natal day (P1) rat. The versatility of the instrument has permitted successful stereotaxic surgery in adolescent as well as neonatal rats, newborn and adult mice, and newborn hamsters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: McKay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000601:surgery*; D006224:Cricetinae; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D008647:Mesocricetus / Q000601:surgery; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL / Q000601:surgery; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley / Q000601:surgery; D012377:Rodentia / Q000601:surgery*; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*