A novel method for precisely timed stimulation of mouse whiskers in a freely moving preparation: application for delivery of the conditioned stimulus in trace eyeblink conditioning

J Neurosci Methods. 2009 Mar 15;177(2):434-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2008.11.002. Epub 2008 Nov 12.

Abstract

The somatosensory whisker pathway has been a useful system for increasing our understanding of experience-induced plasticity. However, precisely timed whisker activation in the awake freely moving mouse has been very difficult. This manuscript describes a method for construction of a whisker stimulator that can be attached to a freely moving mouse. The stimulator was used to activate the whiskers in a time-sensitive forebrain-dependent task, trace eyeblink conditioning. After repeatedly pairing whisker stimulation with delivery of a mild periorbital shock following a stimulus-free trace interval, trace-conditioned mice were able to learn the association. This study demonstrates the potential for using the whisker stimulator in time-sensitive behavioral tasks, such as trace eyeblink conditioning, thus enhancing our ability to examine experience-induced neuronal plasticity in the somatosensory whisker pathway in awake behaving rodents.

MeSH terms

  • Afferent Pathways / physiology
  • Animals
  • Association Learning / physiology
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology
  • Behavioral Sciences / instrumentation*
  • Behavioral Sciences / methods
  • Conditioning, Eyelid / physiology*
  • Electric Stimulation / methods
  • Electronics, Medical / instrumentation
  • Electronics, Medical / methods
  • Electrophysiology / instrumentation*
  • Electrophysiology / methods
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Movement / physiology
  • Neuronal Plasticity / physiology
  • Neurophysiology / instrumentation*
  • Neurophysiology / methods
  • Physical Stimulation / instrumentation
  • Physical Stimulation / methods
  • Prosencephalon / physiology
  • Somatosensory Cortex / physiology
  • Time Factors
  • Touch / physiology
  • Vibrissae / physiology*