Home › Neuroscience › A Pressure Injection System for Investigating the Neuropharmacology of Information Processing in Awake Behaving Macaque Monkey Cortex
Neuroscience JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

A Pressure Injection System for Investigating the Neuropharmacology of Information Processing in Awake Behaving Macaque Monkey Cortex

DOI: 10.3791/53724-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Perform pressure injection of neuropharmacological agents during awake single-cell recording
  • ✓ Assemble and calibrate an integrated injection/recording system for primate cortex
  • ✓ Manipulate pharmacological conditions in localized cortical tissue during behavioral tasks
  • ✓ Interpret neural firing rate changes induced by pharmacological intervention
Protocol

Here, we show the pressure injection of neuropharmacological substances during single-cell recording in an awake, behaving macaque monkey. This procedure allows pharmacological manipulation in the direct vicinity of a cortical recording site.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~4–6 hours per recording session (including preparation, surgery, recording, and data collection)
Model organism
Macaque monkey (awake, behaving)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Understand pressure injection and recording procedure overview

Review the conceptual basis and surgical approach for delivering neuropharmacological substances via pressure injection while performing simultaneous single-cell electrophysiology in awake behaving primates.

▶ 00:45
2
Assemble the injection and recording system components

Configure the integrated hardware apparatus including microelectrodes, injection cannulae, micromanipulators, and recording electronics for coordinated deployment in primate motor or sensory cortex.

▶ 01:39
3
Perform daily system preparation and calibration

Complete pre-experiment checks including electrode impedance verification, injection system priming, software alignment, and positioning of the apparatus on the recording rig.

▶ 02:49
4
Conduct acute single-cell recordings in behaving animal

Locate and isolate individual cortical neurons, establish stable baseline firing rates during the animal's performance of a behavioral task, and acquire electrophysiological data.

▶ 05:20
5
Deliver pharmacological substance via pressure injection

Apply pressure pulses to inject the neuropharmacological agent (e.g., scopolamine) directly at the recording site while simultaneously monitoring single-unit activity and behavioral performance.

▶ 07:03
6
Analyze pharmacological effects on neural firing patterns

Compare baseline and post-injection firing rates and response properties to quantify how the delivered drug modulates cortical neuronal activity during information processing.

▶ 08:17
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