FIGURE 4. Surgical procedure for headplate implantation.

(a) top (left) and side (right) views of the Delrin headplate to be affixed to the skull for head stabilization during autopatching. Scale bar indicates 5 mm. (b–f) Preparation and surgery of the anesthetized mouse after administering approved anesthetic, followed by shaving and sterilizing the scalp. First perform longitudinal incision of the scalp (b, c) to expose the skull (d). Clear the skull further around the desired recording region, (d; red circle). Using a burr drill bit, drill three anchor holes (~500 μm diameter, three small red circles; e) and implant skull screws. Finally implant the headplate by applying freshly mixed dental acrylic cement around the skull screws and around the periphery of the headplate window (f). (g) Photographs of the mouse skull after implantation of the skull screws (top) and after implantation of the headplate (bottom). Scale bars indicate ~2mm (h–k) Illustration of the craniotomy procedure. Identify the desired craniotomy location (h), thin down a 1–2 mm wide pit at the desired craniotomy location until the remaining bone is ~100 μm thick (i), carefully dislodge the flaky bone tissue with a tip of a needle (j), and lift off the bone tissue and clear any remaining bone fragments (k). CAUTION: All animal use should comply with institutional and federal regulations.