Flat-floored Air-lifted Platform: A New Method for Combining Behavior with Microscopy or Electrophysiology on Awake Freely Moving RodentsMikhail Kislin 1, Ekaterina Mugantseva 1, Dmitry Molotkov 1, Natalia Kulesskaya 1, Stanislav Khirug 1, Ilya Kirilkin 2, Evgeny Pryazhnikov 1,2, Julia Kolikova 2, Dmytro Toptunov 2, Mikhail Yuryev 1, Rashid Giniatullin 3, Vootele Voikar 4, Claudio Rivera 1, Heikki Rauvala 1, Leonard Khiroug 1
1Neuroscience Center, University of Helsinki, 2Neurotar LTD, 3A. I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 4Laboratory Animal Center, University of Helsinki
This method creates a tangible, familiar environment for the mouse to navigate and explore during microscopic imaging or single-cell electrophysiological recordings, which require firm fixation of the animal’s head.