A small guillotine to prepare brains for sectioning in defined, odd planes

Rice, Frank L.; Anders, Dick

doi:10.1016/0304-3940(77)90011-8

Cited by 18 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The brains were removed from the skull and postfixed for 1 to 3 wk. After 24 h of cryoprotection in 30% sucrose, the right hemispheres were oriented using a guillotine (Rice and Anders 1977) and sectioned tangentially to the pial surface overlying the barrel cortex on a cryotome (section thickness 40 m). Sections were then stained for Nissl substance with cresyl-violet to visualize the position of the microlesions with respect to the barrel outlines.…”

Section: Electrophysiological Recordingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modified Sensory Processing in the Barrel Cortex of the Adult Mouse After Chronic Whisker Stimulation

Quairiaux

Armstrong‐James²,

Welker³

2007

Journal of Neurophysiology

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Section: Electrophysiological Recordingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modified Sensory Processing in the Barrel Cortex of the Adult Mouse After Chronic Whisker Stimulation

Quairiaux

Armstrong‐James²,

Welker³

2007

Journal of Neurophysiology

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“…Brains were then processed for celloidin embedding. The hemispheres were separated in 70% ethanol, and orientated for cutting tangentially with respect to the pial surface overlying the barrel cortex using a small custom-made guillotine (Rice and Anders, 1977). Serial sections (40 pm) were Nissl-stained with…”

Section: Histologymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mode of Activation of a Barrel Column: Response Properties of Single Units in the Somatosensory Cortex of the Mouse upon Whisker Deflection

Welker

Armstrong‐James

Loos

et al. 1993

Eur J of Neuroscience

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Response properties of single units in the mouse barrel cortex were studied to determine the sequence in which the neurons that form a cortical column become activated by a single 'natural' stimulus. Mice (n = 11) were anaesthetized with urethane. For a total of 153 cells, grouped by cortical layer, responses to a standardized deflection of a single whisker were characterized using poststimulus time and latency histograms. Usually, for each unit, data were collected for stimulation of its principal whisker (PW; the whiskers corresponding to the barrel column in which the cell was located) and of the four whiskers surrounding the PW. In all layers, PW stimulation evoked responses at shorter latency than surround whisker stimulation. In layers II-III and IV a bimodal distribution of cells according to latency to PW stimulation was found. Statistical analysis indicated the presence of two classes of cells in each of these layers: 'fast' units (latency < 15 ms) and 'slow' units (latency > or = 15 ms). The great majority of cells in layers I, V and VI fired at latencies of > 20 ms to PW stimulation. In general, stimulation of surround whiskers evoked a smaller response than PW stimulation. The fast cells of layer IV showed the greatest response to PW stimulation (mean = 1.78 spikes/100 ms poststimulus). Their firing was maximal during the 10-20 ms poststimulus epoch, while the slow layer IV cells fired maximally during the 20-30 ms poststimulus epoch. Surround inhibition occurred in all layers within the first 10 ms after stimulus onset, during which period the fast cells are the most active ones, and are thus likely to be responsible for the surround inhibition. This notion is supported by an analysis of spike duration that showed that eight of the ten cells with a thin spike (supposed to be GABAergic; McCormick et al., J. Neurophysiol., 54, 782-806, 1985), had PW latencies of < 15 ms. We conclude that the activation of a barrel column is initially inhibitory in nature.

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“…Brains were dehydrated, bisected in the midsagittal plane in a 95% ethanol solution, and embedded in celloidin. The blocks were oriented so they could be cut at 40 pm tangentially to the pia above the barrel field (Rice and Anders, 1977;T. A. Woolsey and Van der Loos, 1970).…”

Section: Histological Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative correlation between barrel-field size and the sensory innervation of the whiskerpad: a comparative study in six strains of mice bred for different patterns of mystacial vibrissae

Welker¹,

Loos²

1986

J. Neurosci.

163

124

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In mice from 6 strains bred for different patterns of mystacial vibrissae, we studied the consequences of the presence of supernumerary whiskers for the sensory innervation of the vibrissal follicles and their cortical representation in the barrel field. The parameters were number of axons innervating individual vibrissal follicles, tangential area of individual barrels, and thickness of the layers in the barrel cortex. These parameters are highly constant for animals within a strain but may differ greatly between strains. For all strains, the innervation of a follicle depends on its position on the whiskerpad, the highest innervation density being at the posterolateral corner. This matches the wave of development that travels over this part of the face during embryogenesis. Although large differences exist between strains in the number of axons innervating the whiskerpad, the relative number of axons innervating the "standard" follicles of 1 row is remarkably constant. The thickness of the barrel cortex increases from posteromedial to anterolateral for all strains. This increase is due to variations in thickness of the cortical output layers (II and III, V and VI).For individual barrel-follicle pairs, we calculated the ratio between cortical barrel area and axon number. The major findings were that (1) supernumerary follicles are innervated and, given a threshold number of axons, represented by barrels; (2) barrel area per peripheral axon differs between follicles within a row and is highest for the supernumerary elements; and (3) for each strain there is a direct, linear correlation between axon number and barrel size, which differs significantly among certain, but not all, strains. The data allowed us tentatively to define some of the factors that play a role in the formation of brain maps and pointed to the existence of major genetic differences between mouse strains with respect to these factors.Since 1977 we have selectively bred a number of mouse strains that differ in number and pattern of mystacial vibrissae, starting with a selection made from a large population of albino mice from an outbred ICR stock . Thirteen bilaterally symmetric patterns were obtained, and the "improvement" of the strains in question has been the subject of recent reports Van der Loos et al., 1986). We proved that the patterns, both standard and "enriched," are genetically determined.Six strains from that group have been selected for the present

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A small guillotine to prepare brains for sectioning in defined, odd planes

Cited by 18 publications

References 8 publications

Modified Sensory Processing in the Barrel Cortex of the Adult Mouse After Chronic Whisker Stimulation

Modified Sensory Processing in the Barrel Cortex of the Adult Mouse After Chronic Whisker Stimulation

The Mode of Activation of a Barrel Column: Response Properties of Single Units in the Somatosensory Cortex of the Mouse upon Whisker Deflection

Quantitative correlation between barrel-field size and the sensory innervation of the whiskerpad: a comparative study in six strains of mice bred for different patterns of mystacial vibrissae

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