New York State Psychiatric Institute 4 articles published in JoVE Neuroscience An Open-Source Virtual Reality System for the Measurement of Spatial Learning in Head-Restrained Mice Clay Lacefield1,2, Hongtao Cai1, Huong Ho1, Carla Dias1, Hannah Chung1, René Hen1,2, Gergely F. Turi1,2 1Division of Systems Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 2Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Here, we present a simplified open-source hardware and software setup for investigating mouse spatial learning using virtual reality (VR). This system displays a virtual linear track to a head-restrained mouse running on a wheel by utilizing a network of microcontrollers and a single-board computer running an easy-to-use Python graphical software package. Neuroscience Standardized Data Acquisition for Neuromelanin-Sensitive Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Substantia Nigra Garrett Salzman1, Jocelyn Kim1, Guillermo Horga*1,2, Kenneth Wengler*1,2 1New York State Psychiatric Institute, 2Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University This protocol shows how to acquire neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging data of the substantia nigra. Immunology and Infection Assessing Cellular Stress and Inflammation in Discrete Oxytocin-secreting Brain Nuclei in the Neonatal Rat Before and After First Colostrum Feeding Benjamin Y. Klein1, Hadassah Tamir1,2,3, Muhammad Anwar1, Robert J. Ludwig1, Jasmine H. Kaidbey1, Sara B. Glickstein4, Martha G. Welch1,2 1Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, 2Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, 3Department of Psychiatry, Division of Molecular Imaging and Neuropathology, New York State Psychiatric Institute, 4EB Sciences Here, we present a protocol to isolate brain nuclei in the neonatal rat brain in conjunction with first colostrum feeding. This technique allows the study of nutrient insufficiency stress in the brain as modulated by enterocyte signaling. Neuroscience Piezo High Accuracy Surgical Osteal Removal (PHASOR): A Technique for Improved Cranial Window Surgery in Mice Samuel D. Clark1, Rachel Mikofsky*1, Jacqueline Lawson*1, David Sulzer1 1Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, & Pharmacology, Columbia University Medical Campus Piezoelectric surgery has led to improvements in human maxillofacial and dental surgery. We have developed a protocol to optimize piezoelectric surgery for cranial window surgery in mice.
