Techniques for recording renal sympathetic nerve activity in awake, freely moving animals.
The methods described here allow recording of sympathetic nerve discharge in awake, freely moving animals, and follow a historical perspective of the different techniques developed over the years to record sympathetic discharge. The length of time each system is viable for recording varies from days to weeks. Also included are special hints for the surgical implantation of recording electrodes, types of recording electrodes and cables, as well as the minimum equipment necessary for recording sympathetic discharge. Lastly, a section on troubleshooting includes how to remove movement artifacts and extraneous noise, and minimize the destruction of leads common in recording in awake, freely moving animals. This article is written for the beginner or novice with an emphasis on what is needed when embarking on recording sympathetic nerve discharge in awake, freely moving animals.
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1. fsmith@ucalgary.ca
Francine G
FG
Smith
D000818:Animals; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D004594:Electrophysiology; D004867:Equipment Design; D007668:Kidney / Q000294:innervation*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009482:Neurophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*