George Dimitriadis1, Anne M M Fransen1, Eric Maris2. 1. Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, The Netherlands. 2. Radboud University Nijmegen, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, The Netherlands. Electronic address: e.maris@donders.ru.nl.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: We have developed a setup for rats that allows for controlled sensory input to an animal engaged in a task while recording both electrophysiological signals and behavioral output. NEW METHOD: We record electrophysiological signals using a novel high-density micro-electrocorticography (micro-ECoG) grid that covers almost the whole somatosensory system. We dealt with the well-known difficulty that the rat uses its whisker system in an active (motor-controlled) way to explore its environment by designing a head-mounted device that stimulates the rat's snout in a way unaffected by whisker movements. RESULTS: We replicate the spatial specificity of early evoked responses in somatosensory and auditory cortex. In a companion paper (Cognitive Neurophysiology in Rats, Part 2: Validation and Demonstration) we validate our setup and show for the first time that the ECoG can be used to record evoked responses in a signal that reflects neural output (spiking activity). COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Compared with high-density wire recordings, micro-ECoG offers a much more stable signal without readjustments, and a much better scalability. Compared with head-fixed preparations, our head-mounted stimulator allows to stay closer to the rat's natural way of collecting sensory information. CONCLUSIONS: For perceptual and cognitive research, our setup provides a unique combination of possibilities that cannot be achieved in other setups for rodents.
BACKGROUND: We have developed a setup for rats that allows for controlled sensory input to an animal engaged in a task while recording both electrophysiological signals and behavioral output. NEW METHOD: We record electrophysiological signals using a novel high-density micro-electrocorticography (micro-ECoG) grid that covers almost the whole somatosensory system. We dealt with the well-known difficulty that the rat uses its whisker system in an active (motor-controlled) way to explore its environment by designing a head-mounted device that stimulates the rat's snout in a way unaffected by whisker movements. RESULTS: We replicate the spatial specificity of early evoked responses in somatosensory and auditory cortex. In a companion paper (Cognitive Neurophysiology in Rats, Part 2: Validation and Demonstration) we validate our setup and show for the first time that the ECoG can be used to record evoked responses in a signal that reflects neural output (spiking activity). COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Compared with high-density wire recordings, micro-ECoG offers a much more stable signal without readjustments, and a much better scalability. Compared with head-fixed preparations, our head-mounted stimulator allows to stay closer to the rat's natural way of collecting sensory information. CONCLUSIONS: For perceptual and cognitive research, our setup provides a unique combination of possibilities that cannot be achieved in other setups for rodents.
Authors: Michele Insanally; Michael Trumpis; Charles Wang; Chia-Han Chiang; Virginia Woods; Kay Palopoli-Trojani; Silvia Bossi; Robert C Froemke; Jonathan Viventi Journal: J Neural Eng Date: 2016-03-15 Impact factor: 5.379
Authors: Kanokwan Limnuson; Raj K Narayan; Amrit Chiluwal; Eugene V Golanov; Chad E Bouton; Chunyan Li Journal: Front Neurosci Date: 2016-08-19 Impact factor: 4.677