University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine

3 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Neuroscience

Acute Dissociation of Lamprey Reticulospinal Axons to Enable Recording from the Release Face Membrane of Individual Functional Presynaptic Terminals

Shankar Ramachandran¹, Simon Alford¹

¹Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago

Recording Ca²⁺ currents at the presynaptic release face membrane is key to a precise understanding of Ca²⁺ entry and neurotransmitter release. We present an acute dissociation of the lamprey spinal cord that yields functional isolated reticulospinal axons, permitting recording directly from the release face membrane of individual presynaptic terminals.

Neuroscience

Laminectomy and Spinal Cord Window Implantation in the Mouse

Elizabeth A. Pietruczyk¹, Terilyn K.L. Stephen², Simon Alford¹, Sarah E. Lutz¹

¹Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, ²Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine

This protocol describes implantation of a glass window onto the spinal cord of a mouse to facilitate visualization by intravital microscopy.

Biochemistry

In Vivo Calcium Imaging in C. elegans Body Wall Muscles

Ashley A. Martin^1,2, Simon Alford³, Janet E. Richmond¹

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, ²Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, ³Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Illinois at Chicago

This method provides a way to couple optogenetics and genetically encoded calcium sensors to image baseline cytosolic calcium levels and changes in evoked calcium transients in the body wall muscles of the model organism C. elegans.