Hypothalamic Brain Slices
Hypothalamic Brain Slices - Related Videos
09:14
Imaging Calcium Responses in GFP-tagged Neurons of Hypothalamic Mouse Brain Slices
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Cited by 5 •
2012
In this protocol, we update recent progress in imaging Ca2+ signals of GFP-tagged neurons in brain tissue slices using a red fluorescent Ca2+ indicator dye.
09:30
Dual Somatic Recordings from Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Neurons Identified by Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in Hypothalamic Slices
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Cited by 3 •
2010
Activity in neuronal systems often requires synchronous action potential discharges from neurons within a specific population. For example, pulses of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) likely require coordinated activity between GnRH neurons. We present our methodological approach for reliably obtaining simultaneous electrophysiological recordings from the diffusely distributed GnRH neurons.
01:37
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
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2019
The response to stress—be it physical or psychological, acute or chronic—involves activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis is part of the neuroendocrine system because it involves both neuronal and hormonal communication. Its function is to regulate homeostatic systems—metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune—providing the necessary means to respond to a stressor. What Happens During Stress In response to stress, the neurons in the hypothalamus release...
11:13
Ex Vivo Optogenetic Dissection of Fear Circuits in Brain Slices
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Cited by 8 •
2016
Optogenetic approaches are widely used to manipulate neural activity and assess the consequences for brain function. Here, a technique is outlined that upon in vivo expression of the optical activator Channelrhodopsin, allows for ex vivo analysis of synaptic properties of specific long range and local neural connections in fear-related circuits.
02:32
Generation of Tilted Amygdala Slices from a Mouse Brain
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2025
The video demonstrates the generation of tilted amygdala slices from a mouse brain. The brain is positioned at an angle on the vibratome specimen stage to obtain slices containing the amygdala and axons from the medial prefrontal cortex that form synaptic connections with the amygdala. The brain slices are maintained at the physiological temperature to preserve the tissue for further experiments.
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The oxygenated physiological solution helps maintain the slice while neurons and local synaptic connections remain active in vitro. This preserved activity allows researchers to examine neural firing and synaptic transmission under controlled conditions rather than relying only on observations from intact animals. Maintaining these functions is essential for connecting cellular responses with hypothalamic regulation of homeostasis and behavior.
Preserved local synaptic connections allow researchers to analyze communication among nearby hypothalamic neurons rather than measuring isolated cellular responses alone. This makes it possible to examine how neural activity and synaptic transmission contribute to functions regulated by hypothalamic circuits, including endocrine processes, motivated behaviors, and responses to metabolic or sensory cues.
Hypothalamic brain slices provide controlled access for electrophysiology, imaging, and pharmacological manipulation. Researchers can therefore measure neuronal firing or synaptic transmission while examining responses to hormone-related signaling, metabolic cues, or sensory cues. Separating these experimental inputs from the complexity of an intact animal helps clarify how particular cellular mechanisms influence hypothalamic circuit activity.
Slices reduce experimental complexity while preserving active neurons and local connections within hypothalamic tissue. This balance gives researchers direct access to cellular and circuit-level processes that can be harder to isolate in an intact animal. However, the preparation is used to link these local findings to broader functions such as feeding, stress, reproduction, thermoregulation, and sleep.
Researchers prepare thin sections from hypothalamic brain tissue and maintain them in an oxygenated physiological solution. Once the tissue is maintained in vitro, investigators can access the preparation for electrophysiological recording, imaging, or pharmacological manipulation. The workflow is designed to preserve active neurons and local synaptic connections so that neural responses can be examined under controlled experimental conditions.
These preparations can provide direct information about neuronal firing, synaptic transmission, hormone-related signaling, and responses to metabolic or sensory cues. The resulting measurements help researchers identify cellular mechanisms operating within hypothalamic circuits. They can then relate those mechanisms to regulated processes, including homeostasis, endocrine function, and motivated behaviors, without requiring every variable present in an intact animal.
They are especially useful when a study requires controlled access to hypothalamic tissue while retaining active local circuitry. Researchers can use the preparation to investigate mechanisms associated with feeding, stress, reproduction, thermoregulation, or sleep, as well as broader homeostatic and endocrine functions. Its value lies in connecting experimentally controlled cellular observations with these larger physiological roles.