Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz 3 articles published in JoVE Behavior Using Clicker Training and Social Observation to Teach Rats to Voluntarily Change Cages Charlotte Sophie Leidinger1, Nadine Kaiser1, Nadine Baumgart1, Jan Baumgart1 1Translational Animal Research Center, University Medical Centre, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz This protocol introduces a method of cage change for rats via clicker training. Rats learn the desired behavior not only by direct training but also by observational learning. The implementation of this fast and easy protocol might help to improve well-being and hygiene in rodent facilities. Neuroscience Cortex-, Hippocampus-, Thalamus-, Hypothalamus-, Lateral Septal Nucleus- and Striatum-specific In Utero Electroporation in the C57BL/6 Mouse Jan Baumgart1, Nadine Baumgart1 1TARC (Translational Animal Research Center), University Medical Center, JGU Mainz This protocol describes in detail how to specifically transfect different regions in the C57BL/6 central nervous system via in utero electroporation. Included in this protocol are detailed instructions for transfections of regions that develop into the cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, lateral septal nucleus and striatum. Neuroscience Lineage-reprogramming of Pericyte-derived Cells of the Adult Human Brain into Induced Neurons Marisa Karow1, Christian Schichor2, Ruth Beckervordersandforth3, Benedikt Berninger1,4 1Department of Physiological Genomics, Institute of Physiology, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, 2Tumor Biology Lab, Neurosurgical Clinic, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, 3Institut für Biochemie, Emil-Fischer-Zentrum, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 4Institute of Physiological Chemistry and Focus Program Translational Neuroscience, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz Targeting brain-resident cells for direct lineage-reprogramming offers new perspectives for brain repair. Here we describe a protocol of how to prepare cultures enriched for brain-resident pericytes from the adult human cerebral cortex and convert these into induced neurons by retrovirus-mediated expression of the transcription factors Sox2 and Ascl1.
