Low-Cost Electroencephalographic Recording System Combined with a Millimeter-Sized Coil to Transcranially Stimulate the Mouse Brain In Vivo

A low-cost electroencephalographic (EEG) recording system is proposed here to drive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the mouse brain in vivo, utilizing a millimeter-sized coil. Using conventional screw electrodes combined with a custom-made, flexible, multielectrode array substrate, multi-site recording can be carried out from the mouse brain. In addition, we explain how a millimeter-sized coil is produced using low-cost equipment usually found in laboratories. Practical procedures for fabricating the flexible multielectrode array substrate and the surgical implantation technique for screw electrodes are also presented, which are necessary to produce low-noise EEG signals. Although the methodology is useful for recording from the brain of any small animal, the present report focuses on electrode implementation in an anesthetized mouse skull. Furthermore, this method can be easily extended to an awake small animal that is connected with tethered cables via a common adapter and fixed with a TMS device to the head during recording.The present version of the EEG-TMS system, which can include a maximum of 32 EEG channels (a device with 16 channels is presented as an example with fewer channels) and one TMS channel device, is described. Additionally, typical results obtained by the application of the EEG-TMS system to anesthetized mice are briefly reported.