Topic: neonatal mice

Chemogenetic techniques have broadened our understanding of how early activity shapes developing brain circuits. A widely used chemogenetic actuator is hM4Di, which employs Gi/o-protein signaling for neuronal inhibition. However, its single-cellular mechanisms and efficacy in neurons with immature Gi/o signaling are elusive. Here, we investigate the applicability of transgenically expressed hM4Di for silencing pyramidal cells in the hippocampus of neonatal mice. Electrophysiological recordings from CA1 pyramidal cells demonstrate that hM4Di does not mediate hyperpolarization or shunting and, i

Neonatal ischemic stroke is a significant cause of mortality, severe developmental delays, and spastic cerebral palsy. In most cases, ischemic stroke occurs in the basin of the middle cerebral artery. Middle cerebral artery occlusion is the well-established model for stroke in adults. However, this method is mostly described in rat pups and is not well-established in neonatal mice.In this study, we compared a model of neonatal stroke (tfMCAO, transient filament middle cerebral artery occlusion) with neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (RVM, Rice-Vannucci model of unilateral carotid ligation