Micro-drive array for chronic in vivo recording: drive fabrication.
Chronic recording of large populations of neurons is a valuable technique for studying the function of neuronal circuits in awake behaving rats. Lightweight recording devices carrying a high density array of tetrodes allow for the simultaneous monitoring of the activity of tens to hundreds of individual neurons. Here we describe a protocol for the fabrication of a micro-drive array with twenty one independently movable micro-drives. This device has been used successfully to record from hippocampal and cortical neurons in our lab. We show how to prepare a custom designed, 3-D printed plastic base that will hold the micro-drives. We demonstrate how to construct the individual micro-drives and how to assemble the complete micro-drive array. Further preparation of the drive array for surgical implantation, such as the fabrication of tetrodes, loading of tetrodes into the drive array and gold-plating, is covered in a subsequent video article.
Kloosterman
Fabian
F
Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, USA. fkloos@mit.edu
Davidson
Thomas J
TJ
Gomperts
Stephen N
SN
Layton
Stuart P
SP
Hale
Gregory
G
Nguyen
David P
DP
Wilson
Matthew A
MA
D000818:Animals; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D046228:Microarray Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats