A Miniaturized, Programmable Deep-Brain Stimulator for Group-Housing and Water Maze Use

oleh: Richard C. Pinnell, Richard C. Pinnell, Richard C. Pinnell, Richard C. Pinnell, Richard C. Pinnell, Anne Pereira de Vasconcelos, Anne Pereira de Vasconcelos, Jean C. Cassel, Jean C. Cassel, Jean C. Cassel, Jean C. Cassel, Ulrich G. Hofmann, Ulrich G. Hofmann, Ulrich G. Hofmann, Ulrich G. Hofmann

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Frontiers Media S.A. 2018-04-01

Deskripsi

Pre-clinical deep-brain stimulation (DBS) research has observed a growing interest in the use of portable stimulation devices that can be carried by animals. Not only can such devices overcome many issues inherent with a cable tether, such as twisting or snagging, they can also be utilized in a greater variety of arenas, including enclosed or large mazes. However, these devices are not inherently designed for water-maze environments, and their use has been restricted to individually-housed rats in order to avoid damage from various social activities such as grooming, playing, or fighting. By taking advantage of 3D-printing techniques, this study demonstrates an ultra-small portable stimulator with an environmentally-protective device housing, that is suitable for both social-housing and water-maze environments. The miniature device offers 2 channels of charge-balanced biphasic pulses with a high compliance voltage (12 V), a magnetic switch, and a diverse range of programmable stimulus parameters and pulse modes. The device's capabilities have been verified in both chronic pair-housing and water-maze experiments that asses the effects of nucleus reuniens DBS. Theta-burst stimulation delivered during a reference-memory water-maze task (but not before) had induced performance deficits during both the acquisition and probe trials of a reference memory task. The results highlight a successful application of 3D-printing for expanding on the range of measurement modalities capable in DBS research.