Mouse and Small Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor

Engineering Creativity for Neuroscience

Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor V.5

Has been developed to fit mice on any rat sized stereotaxic instrument. According to this approach, this is not a complete stereotaxic device, but a precise fixing adaptor especially for small mice. We found, that there are different, very good stereotaxic instruments in every lab, but they are too rude to use them for mice. Our Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor SFAC-5 breaks this limitation.

We have tested Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor on David Kopf 900 and Stoelting rat stereotaxic instruments. According to its small size and universal, adjustable fixing elements, it can be used on nearly every other stereotaxic instruments, too. Its stability is superb. We have tested it on a 2-photon microscope, as well. The target neurons could be examined approximately in ten minutes without any disturbing movement.

The Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor is designed to use for stereotaxic surgery, electrode implantation and stereotaxic injection of compounds using all power of the best rat stereotaxic instruments. The principle of the mouse head holder resembles the Cunningham mouse adaptor but it has major improvements. It can be used either in combination with rat stereotaxic frame, or as a stand alone head restraining device. It allows to use two electrode positioners and application of Halothane anaesthesia in open inhalation systems. Its ear bars are designed for accurate holding of the scull and prevent damage or compression of the soft bone of the mouse and small rat skull. Because of applying the same head restraining spots of the scull as it is in use in the case of rats, our Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor allows exceptional high accuracy of stereotaxic positioning in mouse, particularly if it is applied together with digital electrode positioning.

The cone of ear bars fits to the meatus hole. The shape of the ear bar is designed so that it provide a large surface contact to the bone of the skull around the outer ear hole. Thus the cone tip serves only for accurate positioning of the ear bar but does not hold the weight of the head. It allows accurate positioning of the ear bars and firm contact without damaging the skull.

The tooth holder has a hole drilled into the tooth holder bar. The end of the hole is close to the nose and it serves the application of Halothane or other inhalation narcotics on mouse to reduce the risk of anaesthesia.

Tooth holders are designed so that a 2 mm lateral movement of the teeth prevents torsion or damage of the scull during centering the head.

The tip of ear bars can be replaced to custom made bar tips. Any kind of bar tips can be made by the manufacturer or by the user. The internal geometry of the ears of mice depend on their age and race very much. This is the reason, why ear bars have got strong, durable stainless steel handles and changeable tips made of soft aluminum. These aluminum cones can be modified by the user with a rasp. If you find the appropriate geometry of the cones fitting in the ears of your mice perfectly, please send us a drawing of the desired, exact geometry of cones. We will manufacture new ear bar tips for you according to your specification free of charge. Optionally, cogged ear bars can also be ordered for softer but accurate fastening of the head.

The Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor has got height adjustable legs. They are used to adjust the height of the equipment to fit to the height of the stereotaxic frame. Furthermore they provide a precise way to adjust the horizontality.

We have developed a unique fixing method to fasten the Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor on an optical table or on any other surface. The essence of the fixing method is, that only four pieces of M6 holes are needed anywhere (!) around the Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor to fix it. It is not necessary to drill extra fixing holes, any given holes can be used to fix the instrument on the basement. This innovative idea provides very rigid and universal way to fasten the equipment. With the flexible scissor styled elements the fixing holes can be found accurately, then the screws should be tightened. The scissor styled fixing elements are optional accessories. If you do not need to fasten the instrument, you should not order them.

Certainly, the temperature of the Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor is controlled accurately. The Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor contains the heating elements and a temperature sensor, too. So, it is not necessary to buy a separated heating pad, because this function is included. To control its temperature a Physiological - Biological Temperature Controller assembled with 12V FINE DC power end-stage should also be ordered.

There is a M4 screw on the equipment to connect it to the central ground point of the rig, if sensitive electrophysiological recording is carried out on it. The heating of the equipment does not generate any hum noise, it is electronically dead quiet.

There are different versions of nose clamps and ear bars to choose from. Please select the optimal version for your animals. Your choice of such specialities has no effect on the price of the complete equipment.

Supertech Instruments is highly appreciate for any kind of critical notes and requests for changing which improves the product. Our main goal is to develop of our Mouse Adaptor on the basis of critics of customers. We insist on supplying the scientific community with a versatile and upgradeable stereotaxic tool for mice helping to do physiological experiments on transgenic and genetically engineered mouse strains.

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Dimensions

Outer measures of the heated base plate (including the fixing places of the two ear bar assemblies): 155 x 85 mm

Useable surface of the heated base plate (including the fixing place of the nose bar assembly): 155 x 55 mm

Space requirement of the complete equipment (including the nose bar and ear bar assemblies): 190 (L) x 130 (W) X 100 (H) mm

Height of the top surface of the heated base plate from the surface the equipment is fixed on: 55 mm

Reference

The Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor provides such a level of mechanical stability, that intracellular recording of a thalamocortical neuron in an anaesthetized mouse with a sharp glass pipette can be carried out easily even in an hour time period.

To demonstrate the mechanical stability of the Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor you can download a real Demo Recording from the 35th minute of a real experiment. Intracellular recording of the activity of a thalamocortical neuron was carried out.

Sincere thanks to the authors:

Dr. Magor Lorincz

Prof. Dr. Vincenzo Crunelli

Prof. Dr. Stuart W. Hughes

at School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, UK

Holder Frame for Microscope SFHF-2

Holder Frame for Microscope is used to lock the Simplified Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor on a removable and changeable way in the focus plane of any upright (e.g. 2-photon) microscope.

The Holder Frame for Microscope is made of a heat insulator material to provide the thermal stability of the fixing adaptor. The Holder Frame for Microscope is strongly fixed, and its position is adjusted carefully. The Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor can be removed from the holder frame easily. The Holder Frame for Microscope gives a very comfortable way to fix the mouse in the Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor on a surgical table and when the mouse is fixed into it, the Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor can be put completely with the mouse into the Holder Frame for Microscope in seconds.

We offer two different holding structures for the Holder Frame for Microscope. One of them uses strong, solid steel rods and screws. The other version is a magnetic base with flexibly adjustable back bone (spine) styled elements. You can see this model in the pictures below. If you need other, special fixing arrangement to image a living mouse on a microscope, we are open for discussion and a common development.

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Parts to Build a Custom Mouse Stereotaxic Adaptor

The parts of the Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor can be ordered independently, part by part. You can use these parts as a self-assembling DIY kit, if you would like to build your customized Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor. This way you can use your own, old stereotaxic device to fix mice on it or you can build any special fixing adaptor optimized for your own requirements.

The Nose Holder Rod (including the horizontal drilled rod, teeth clamp, nose clamp, spring, and the screw), and the vertical height adjusting structures are sophisticated, quite difficult assemblies. They also can be ordered lonely, as the other, simpler parts of the Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Adaptor. You can see the prices of the parts below.

Prices

You can find the general warranty and shipping conditions in the beginning of the Services page.

Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor SFAC-5, complete equipment, with built-in heating elements, temperature sensor and 4 pieces of height adjustable legs. It is compatible with any stereotaxic frame. Heating pad is implicitly included in the Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor (heater is compatible with the 12V Physiological - Biological Temperature Controller): 1188 EUR

Optional accessories:

4 pieces of scissor-styled fixing elements SFFE-5a, to fix the Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor on any flat base surface: 204 EUR

Holder Frame for Microscope SFHF-2, without magnetic stand: 444 EUR

Custom Designed Holder Frame for Microscope SFHF-cd. The price of a custom designed holding structure for the Holder Frame for Microscope can be calculated according to the preliminary sketches.

Lockable Magnetic Fixing Stand LMFS-1 (800 N force, with flexible, backbone styled holder arm): 132 EUR

Parts of the self-assembling DIY kit to build a customized Mouse and Neonatal Rat Stereotaxic Frame Adaptor:

Nose Holder Rod SFNHR-5, with teeth clamp, nose clamp and screw: 336 EUR

Simplified Nose Holder Rod SFNHR-5a, without teeth clamp and nose clamp: 132 EUR

2 pieces of Sharp Ear Bars in a set SFSEB-5, with changeable aluminum tips: 168 EUR

2 pieces of Cogged Ear Bars in a set SFCEB-5: 228 EUR

Ear Bar Holders (2 pieces) SFEHB-5, with Open Top: 216 EUR

Nose Bar Holder SFNBH-5: 108 EUR

Physiological - Biological Temperature Controller: you can look up its price on the Animal Temperature Control page.