Measuring Brain Glutamate Levels Under Anesthesia in Neonatal Piglets Using a Microelectrode Array

In This Article

Abstract

Source: Geyer, E. D., et al. Adaptation of Microelectrode Array Technology for the Study of Anesthesia-induced Neurotoxicity in the Intact Piglet Brain. J. Vis. Exp. (2018).

This video demonstrates the measurement of glutamate levels in the brain of an anesthetized neonatal piglet using a microelectrode array (MEA). The procedure involves creating a craniotomy window in the pig skull and inserting the MEA into the brain region of interest. The glutamate-oxidase-coated recording sites of the MEA convert extracellular brain glutamate to hydrogen peroxide, which generates a measurable current. This current is measured and normalized against background noise to determine brain glutamate levels under anesthesia.

Protocol

All procedures involving animal models have been reviewed by the local institutional animal care committee and the JoVE veterinary review board.

1. Piglets and Piglet Handling

Utilize male and female piglets in a systematic and randomized manner to eliminate any potential sex-based confounders in accordance with ARRIVE guidelines.
NOTE: Since the period of maximal brain growth is within 3-5 days of piglet birth, experimentation is done solely with piglets 3-5 days old.
Ensure piglets arrive in the vivarium at least 24 h before experimentation to allow acclimation to the environm....

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Results

Electrode measurement setup, diagram of flexible and rigid shafts for neural recording analysis.
Figure 1: Visual comparison of SG-2 microelectrode array types. SG-2 arrays contain two glutamate-sensitive sites and two glutamate-insensitive sentinel sites (150 µm x 20 µm per site). (A) A flexible-shaft microelectrode array is .......