title: A simple and inexpensive method to fabricate a cannula system for intracranial injections in rats and mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stereotaxic administration of neuroactive agents, either in ventricles, or targeted at specific intracranial sites, is a widely employed strategy for neurological studies in rodents. Surgical implantation of cannula on the skull is particularly useful in chronic treatments. We describe a simple, inexpensive and reliable method to fabricate a cannula system for delivery of drugs at the targeted sites in the brain of rat or mouse.
  
  
  METHODS
  The system consists of a guide cannula made from a hypodermic needle (24 gauge), a stainless steel wire (30 gauge) that serves as a dummy cannula, and an internal cannula made of stainless steel needle (30 gauge) taken from a hypodermic syringe. The cannula can be implanted by routine stereotaxic procedure and used for acute or chronic drug administration to conscious, free moving animals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With a view to test the system for accuracy, the guide cannula was stereotaxically implanted, and neuropeptide Y was directly delivered into the lateral ventricle. These rats showed a significant increase in food intake. Another set of rats were cannulated for chronic protocol, wherein ethanol was delivered directly into the ventral tegmental area. In operant chamber, these rats showed increased ethanol self-administration. The proposed cannula takes around 5 min to fabricate and costs less than a dollar.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We feel that it may serve as an economical and reliable tool in neuropharmacological and neurobehavioral studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University Campus, Amravati Road, Nagpur, Maharashtra, 440 033, India.
authors.forename: Dadasaheb M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Kokare
authors.forename: Gajanan P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Shelkar
authors.forename: Chandrashekhar D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Borkar
authors.forename: Kartik T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Nakhate
authors.forename: Nishikant K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Subhedar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002404:Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D057785:Catheters; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D051379:Mice; D009339:Needles; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000008:administration & dosage; D051381:Rats; D012646:Self Administration / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D000431:Ethanol