title: Extending the viability of acute brain slices.
abstract: The lifespan of an acute brain slice is approximately 6-12 hours, limiting potential experimentation time. We have designed a new recovery incubation system capable of extending their lifespan to more than 36 hours. This system controls the temperature of the incubated artificial cerebral spinal fluid (aCSF) while continuously passing the fluid through a UVC filtration system and simultaneously monitoring temperature and pH. The combination of controlled temperature and UVC filtering maintains bacteria levels in the lag phase and leads to the dramatic extension of the brain slice lifespan. Brain slice viability was validated through electrophysiological recordings as well as live/dead cell assays. This system benefits researchers by monitoring incubation conditions and standardizing this artificial environment. It further provides viable tissue for two experimental days, reducing the time spent preparing brain slices and the number of animals required for research.
authors.affiliation: Bioelectronics and Neuroscience group, The MARCS Institute, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Yossi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Buskila
authors.affiliation: Bioelectronics and Neuroscience group, The MARCS Institute, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Paul P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Breen
authors.affiliation: Bioelectronics and Neuroscience group, The MARCS Institute, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tapson
authors.affiliation: Bioelectronics and Neuroscience group, The MARCS Institute, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Schaik
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.affiliation: 1] Bioelectronics and Neuroscience group, The MARCS Institute, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia [2] School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Morley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000502:physiology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D003080:Cold Temperature; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007185:Incubators; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000502:physiology; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000502:physiology; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020615:Stenotrophomonas maltophilia / Q000502:physiology; D055366:Synaptic Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014743:Videotape Recording