Recording Brain Signals from Freely Moving Piglets

Begin with an awake piglet wrapped in a towel for comfort.

Clean the piglet's head.

Use an appropriate tool to remove dead skin cells, then cleanse the area.

To record brain signals, attach a ground electrode over the cerebellum and a reference electrode on the nose.

Place the recording electrode at the desired location on the brain.

Connect the electrodes to the telemetry unit, which wirelessly transmits data from the electrodes to the receiver for monitoring.

Activate the telemetry unit.

Cover the telemetry unit and electrodes with silicone rubber and allow it to solidify.

Let the piglet acclimate and display normal behavior.

Record brain signals from the active piglet.

After recording, carefully recapture the piglet.

Remove the silicone patch containing the embedded electrodes and telemetry unit, and return the piglet to the pigpen.

Mark the piglet with a number as necessary, and wrap the animal in a towel to calm it down. Holding the piglet with one hand at the body or forearm, and using the other hand to control the snout, have an assistant clean the animal's skin using an appropriate tool to remove any dead skin as necessary.

Place the recording electrodes at the appropriate experimental locations — the ground electrode above the cerebellum, and the reference electrode on the snout. When all of the electrodes have been placed, connect the cables to the telemetry unit and turn it on. Cover the telemetry unit cables and electrodes with two components skin adhesive silicone rubber.

When the silicone rubber is completely cured, place the piglet back into the pen and monitor the animal for several more minutes for any signs of discomfort. Before beginning the experiment, check for any line noise. The piglet should recover and begin synchronizing its behavior with its siblings after about 30 seconds. Wait for a sleep phase and begin the recording, gently moving any sleeping siblings from the telemetry unit as necessary.

At the end of the recording period, catch the piglet again without aggravating the sow, and gently lift the silicone rubber at one edge. Then, remove the whole patch of silicone rubber containing the electrodes and the telemetry unit being careful with the piglet's eyes and returning the piglet to the pen.