title: Cerebellar craniotomy for in vivo calcium imaging of astrocytes.
abstract: The cerebellar cortex contains two astrocyte types: the Bergmann glia of the molecular layer and the velate protoplasmic astrocytes of the granule cell layer. In vivo, these cell types generate both subcellular calcium transients and trans-glial calcium waves. It is possible to perform in vivo calcium imaging in cerebellar astrocytes. One method involves injection of a replication-incompetent recombinant adenovirus for gene transfer of a fluorescent calcium indicator protein. A second method uses multicell bolus loading (MCBL) in the molecular layer of the cerebellum with synthetic calcium indicators. This protocol presents a cerebellar craniotomy procedure which can be used to prepare a virus-injected animal for in vivo imaging. It can also be used to prepare an animal for MCBL.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: Tycho M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Hoogland
authors.forename: Samuel S-H
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000601:surgery*; D003399:Craniotomy; D051379:Mice; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium