Hello,
I am thinking to implant glass cannulas (200 micrometers diameter) bilaterally just above the Ventral Tegmental Area in mice.
Former colleagues tried, but encountered high mortality immediately post-op (within 24 hours from implantation). Anybody had a similar issue while implanting on VTA? Any suggestion before I try myself?
Here's the coordinates I've been recommended:
AP: -3
ML: 1.15
DV: -4.2
10° angle.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I've had a similar experience and my guess is that this is due to post-op hemorrhage caused by cannulae placement. There are a few large vessels immediately ventral and medial of the VTA which may be the culprits. See this paper for a precise mapping of vasculature: Xiong B et al (2017). Precise cerebral vascular atlas in stereotaxic coordinates of whole mouse brain. Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, 11:1. It's possible to get sufficient subject numbers, but the increase in post-op mortality definitely needs to be accounted for in experimental planning.
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