title: Decerebrate mouse model for studies of the spinal cord circuits.
abstract: The adult decerebrate mouse model (a mouse with the cerebrum removed) enables the study of sensory-motor integration and motor output from the spinal cord for several hours without compromising these functions with anesthesia. For example, the decerebrate mouse is ideal for examining locomotor behavior using intracellular recording approaches, which would not be possible using current anesthetized preparations. This protocol describes the steps required to achieve a low-blood-loss decerebration in the mouse and approaches for recording signals from spinal cord neurons with a focus on motoneurons. The protocol also describes an example application for the protocol: the evocation of spontaneous and actively driven stepping, including optimization of these behaviors in decerebrate mice. The time taken to prepare the animal and perform a decerebration takes ∼2 h, and the mice are viable for up to 3-8 h, which is ample time to perform most short-term procedures. These protocols can be modified for those interested in cardiovascular or respiratory function in addition to motor function and can be performed by trainees with some previous experience in animal surgery.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Claire F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Meehan
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Kyle A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Mayr
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR 8119, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Marin
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5344-3572
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manuel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hilo, Hawaii, USA.
authors.forename: Stan T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1234-5415
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Whelan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054022:Cerebrum; D051379:Mice; D023421:Models, Animal; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000166:cytology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000166:cytology*