High-throughput imaging of Drosophila central nervous system specimens requires a precise, standardized arrangement of the samples on a microscope slide. A simple grid makes locating the specimens a straightforward task and streamlines the imaging process. A standardized system of tissue arrangement also guarantees repeatable identification of individual samples.
Automatic watering valves for ventilated cage racks come in various styles, such as cage-mounted valves, fixed rack-mounted valves, and rack-mounted valves with quick disconnects. During cage-cleaning procedures, rack-mounted valves with quick disconnects are removed from racks to be cleaned and autoclaved to prevent cross-contamination. Although this process ensures a high level of sanitation, it can result in the improper placement of a cage in a rack position that does not have a watering valve.
Recent studies have provided compelling demonstrations that both mice and rats can be trained to perform various behavioral tasks while head restrained. To be effective for research studies, a system of rodent head restraint is required for electrophysiology and imaging, both in vitro and in vivo. The system must include stability, rapid customization, and rapid conversion between preparations and low cost.
Stereotaxic surgery is a minimally invasive form of surgical intervention that uses a three-dimensional coordinate system to locate small targets. The method is used in several different types of animal research studies. It is essential to target specific sites of the brain and directly introduce into the brain pharmacological agents that might not otherwise cross the blood-brain barrier. Simple, precise control of microinjections is necessary to ensure the accurate delivery of micro volumes in research studies.
In vivo electrophysiology recordings from single to multiple neurons in behaving animals provide unique insights into neuroscience research. Microdrives, which are used to position microelectrodes in a behaving animal independently, are essential tools for this line of research. An ideal micro-drive system would be small, light, and stable and would enable several electrodes to be positioned in a compact area to target small groups of cells.
Observing neural activity during behavior has become an important tool in understanding neural function. Behavior reflects nervous system activity and is dependent on multiple factors, including external stimuli, experience, neuronal structure, and changes in the internal milieu of the animal. Alterations at the cellular or functional level can profoundly alter basal and evoked activity.
The olfactometer, or “electronic nose,” detects and measures odors in many research and commercial applications. This odor-delivery system consists of one cassette or multiple cassettes connected in parallel. Individual cassettes act as a discrete air dilution odor-delivery system and include two mass flow controllers (MFCs) and gas lines for air and the odorant being analyzed. Multiple vials and pairs of on-off valves are arranged in an optimal performance configuration to complete the system.
SMOCS is a novel tool for optogenetics, an emerging neuroscience technology that can be defined as the integration of optics and genetics to control well-defined events (such as action potentials) within specified cells (e.g., targeted class of projection neurons) in living tissues, such as the brains of freely behaving mammals.
The Dimple Press is a novel instrument that affords a significant advancement in protocol development in genetics and embryonic development, with specific application to the generation of chimeras. Mouse chimeras have proven an invaluable tool for the generation of genetically modified strains. They have been extensively used in developmental biology as a powerful tool to analyze the phenotype of specific mutations and to attribute function to gene products.
Repeatable microscope observations at high magnification and resolution are difficult when using current slide holders for oil immersion due to the objective, oil, and slide movement on the microscope stage. Therefore, a unique microscope slide holder was designed to hold slides securely for oil immersion microscopy and other microscope systems that require a fixed slide position.
