Topic: cranial window

Microglia-synapse interactions have been examined in a variety of contexts, in vitro and in vivo, which revealed an important role for microglia in synaptic pruning and loss. Nevertheless, it remains to be determined whether and how microglia are involved in the process of synapse formation under physiologic conditions. We hypothesize that microglia serve as a link between pre- and post-synapse by sensing neurotransmitter release at highly active pre-synaptic sites and actively modulate the formation of new dendritic spines.To examine this relationship, we target microglia-synapse communicatio

Focused ultrasound (FUS) is a novel noninvasive modality for neuromodulation in the central nervous system with a high spatial resolution and the ability to target deep brain structures. Rodent studies have shown motor responses following FUS but mostly failed to demonstrate consistent and target-specific effects. Here, we used a high-frequency (4 MHz) transducer with a small focal area to investigate the target-specificity of FUS neuromodulation. Mice were implanted with a large cranial window consisting of an ultrasound-transparent Polymethylpentene membrane. For the experiment, awake mice w