This study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse Grants DA 006886, and DA 032270.

<ol>
	<li>Wire the bipolar stepper motors by screwing the wires into the connectors supplied with the driver board. Wire colors on bipolar stepper motors are standardized (Figure 1). 
	Note: The described stepper motors have a resolution of 1.8&#176;/step, geared to 0.346&#176;/step. A standard stereotax has 3 mm/360&#176; of travel. The final resolution is 2.88 &#956;m/step. The motors are also capable of fractional stepping.
	<ol>
		<li>Connect the green wire to A+, connect the black wire to A-, connect the red wire to B...

<ol>
	<li>Yin, H. H., Knowlton, B. J., Balleine, B. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Lesions+of+dorsolateral+striatum+preserve+outcome+expectancy+but+disrupt+habit+formation+in+instrumental+learning.">Lesions of dorsolateral striatum preserve outcome expectancy but disrupt habit formation in instrumental learning.</a> Eur. J. Neurosci. 19 (1), 181-189 (2004).</li><li>West, M. O., Woodward, D. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+technique+for+microiontophoretic+study+of+single+neurons+in+the+freely+moving+rat.">A technique for microiontophoretic study of single neurons in the freely moving rat.</a> J. Neurosci. Methods. 11 (3), 179-186 (1984).</li><li>Peoples, L. L., West, M. O. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Phasic+firing+of+single+neurons+in+the+rat+nucleus+accumbens+correlated+with+the+timing+of+intravenous+cocaine+self-administration.">Phasic firing of single neurons in the rat nucleus accumbens correlated with the timing of intravenous cocaine self-administration.</a> J. Neurosci. 16 (10), 3459-3473 (1996).</li><li>Wolske, M., Rompre, P. P., Wise, R. A., West, M. O. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Activation+of+single+neurons+in+the+rat+nucleus+accumbens+during+self-stimulation+of+the+ventral+tegmental+area.">Activation of single neurons in the rat nucleus accumbens during self-stimulation of the ventral tegmental area.</a> J. Neurosci. 13 (1), 1-12 (1993).</li><li>Bozza, T., McGann, J. P., Mombaerts, P., &amp;Wachowiak, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vivo+imaging+of+neuronal+activity+by+targeted+expression+of+a+genetically+encoded+probe+in+the+mouse.">In vivo imaging of neuronal activity by targeted expression of a genetically encoded probe in the mouse.</a> Neuron. 42 (1), 9-21 (2004).</li><li>Pitts, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Office+of+Laboratory+Animal+Welfare.">Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare.</a> Institutional animal care and use committee guidebook. , (2002).</li><li>Yoon, T., Otto, T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Differential+contributions+of+dorsal+vs.+ventral+hippocampus+to+auditory+trace+fear+conditioning.">Differential contributions of dorsal vs. ventral hippocampus to auditory trace fear conditioning.</a> Neurobiol. Learn. Mem. 87 (4), 464-475 (2007).</li><li>Root, D. H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Differential+roles+of+ventral+pallidum+subregions+during+cocaine+self-administration+behaviors.">Differential roles of ventral pallidum subregions during cocaine self-administration behaviors.</a> J. Comp. Neurol. 521 (3), 558-588 (2012).</li><li>Yang, G., Pan, F., Parkhurst, C. N., Grutzendler, J., Gan, W. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Thinned-skull+cranial+window+technique+for+long-term+imaging+of+the+cortex+in+live+mice.">Thinned-skull cranial window technique for long-term imaging of the cortex in live mice.</a> Nat. Protoc. 5 (2), 201-208 (2010).</li><li>Feng, L., Sametsky, E. A., Gusev, A. G., Uteshev, V. V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Responsiveness+to+nicotine+of+neurons+of+the+caudal+nucleus+of+the+solitary+tract+correlates+with+the+neuronal+projection+target.">Responsiveness to nicotine of neurons of the caudal nucleus of the solitary tract correlates with the neuronal projection target.</a> J. Neurophysiol. 108 (7), 1884-1894 (2012).</li><li>Babaei, P., Soltani Tehrani, ., B, A., Alizadeh, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Transplanted+Bone+Marrow+Mesenchymal+Stem+Cells+Improve+Memory+in+Rat+Models+of+Alzheimer's+Disease.">Transplanted Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Improve Memory in Rat Models of Alzheimer's Disease.</a> Stem Cells Int. 2012, 369417 (2012).</li></ol>

The authors have no competing financial interests to disclose.

The use of automated surgery equipment helps to eliminate some of the most common problems in neuroscience research. First, the tool paths are 100% reproducible. Every cut is guaranteed to be in the same location relative to Bregma. Second, it should reduce experimenter error. Although many researchers are highly skilled surgeons, it takes an exceptional amount of practice to become even a competent surgeon. This device will allow new students to quickly and easily perform highly accurate surgeries. Third, motorized surg...

Stereotactic rodent surgery is used in a wide variety of neuroscience applications, including lesioning1, iontophoresis2, microwire implantation3, stimulation4, and thin skull imaging5. However, there are major hurdles facing those who wish to apply these techniques, including the steep learning curve for performing accurate stereotactic surgery and the high probability of human error. Human errors include measurement and calculation failures, as well as the low accuracy and replicability of human movements. In an effort to reduce these confounding errors, stereotactic surgeons would benefit from a system that ensures that all surgical procedures are performed identically across subjects. The reduction of errors is also one method by which investigators can minimize the use of animal subjects, a primary goal of the National Institutes of Health for animal experimentation6. In an ideal world, all stereotactic surgeries would be perfectly replicable within experiments, and between labs. To address this issue, companies have developed new ultra-precise stereotaxics, and digital displays for reading measurements. To remove human movement errors, motorized micro manipulators and stereotaxics were produced commercially, but their high cost can be prohibitive to a laboratory with a limited budget. Also, their software is fully proprietary, and cannot be modified by the researcher to accommodate a new type of surgery.
An affordable solution to the human error problem is to build a robotic stereotax from a lab&#39;s existing model, using industry standard CNC equipment. Because of a burgeoning CNC hobbyist community, the materials are significantly less expensive than scientific equipment. This allows one to build an accurate CNC stereotaxic instrument, which is also highly flexible and inexpensive. With a basic knowledge of CNC machining and G-Code, individuals can program any stereotactic surgery that they imagine, without the limitations of proprietary software. And, in order to expedite the production of g-code for simple surgeries, this protocol includes software that allows the user to design surgeries (sharp edge craniotomy, thin skull windowing, hole drilling &#38; implant lowering) within point and click menus. These programs output a completed g-code that may be run directly from CNC software.
In all, a motorized stereotaxic upgrade is ideal for those who have an interest in increasing the accuracy and replicability of surgeries, while retaining the flexibility and low cost of an open source platform.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="749">
	<colgroup>
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	<tbody>
		<tr height="44">
			<td height="44" style="height:44px;width:141px;">1x Standard U Frame Stereotax</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Kopf</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://www.kopfinstruments.com/Stereotaxic/900.html">Kopf</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;">This protocol should work with most existing stereotaxic devices.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="65">
			<td height="65" style="height:65px;width:141px;">3x 12 V, 1.6 A, 233 oz-inch Geared Bipolar Stepper Motor</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Phidgets</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://www.robotshop.com/geared-bipolar-stepper-motor-3v-233-oz-in.html">Robot Shop</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;">Any high torque geared stepper motor should do.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="73">
			<td height="73" style="height:73px;width:141px;">1x 3 Axis CNC Stepper Motor Driver Board Controller</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Toshiba</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/CNC-Router-3-Axis-TB6560-3-5A-Stepper-Motor-Driver-Board-For-Engraving-Machine-/300981888819">Ebay</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;">Any 3 Axis CNC driver should do. Linked Item includes Mach3 CNC software.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="94">
			<td height="94" style="height:94px;width:141px;">2x Arm Couplers: medial-lateral (ML) &#38; dorsal-ventral (DV)</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">custom machined</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://eden.rutgers.edu/~mrcoffey/images/3D%20Models%20-%20CNC%20Stereotax%20Parts.zip">Part Drawings</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;">These must be machined by your local machine shop. (costs will vary)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="76">
			<td height="76" style="height:76px;width:141px;">1x anterior-posterior (AP) Coupler</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">custom machined</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://eden.rutgers.edu/~mrcoffey/images/3D%20Models%20-%20CNC%20Stereotax%20Parts.zip">Part Drawings</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;">These must be machined by your local machine shop. (costs will vary)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="127">
			<td height="172" rowspan="3" style="height:172px;width:141px;">3x Motor to Stereotax Collar</td>
			<td rowspan="3" style="width:137px;">custom machined</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://eden.rutgers.edu/~mrcoffey/images/3D%20Models%20-%20CNC%20Stereotax%20Parts.zip">Part Drawings</a></td>
			<td rowspan="3" style="width:355px;">These must be machined by your local machine shop. (costs will vary)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="23">
			<td height="23" style="height:23px;width:117px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:117px;"><a href="http://eden.rutgers.edu/~mrcoffey/images/Collar.html">View in Browser</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="65" rowspan="2" style="height:65px;width:141px;">12x NF10-32 Cup Point Set Screws</td>
			<td rowspan="2" style="width:137px;">McMaster Carr</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://www.mcmaster.com/#92313A829">&#189;&#8221; Length</a></td>
			<td rowspan="2" style="width:355px;">You will need 6 of each.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:117px;"><a href="http://www.mcmaster.com/#92313A825">&#188;&#8221; Length</a></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="46">
			<td height="46" style="height:46px;width:141px;">12x M3 Socket Head Screws (20 mm)</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">McMaster Carr</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://www.mcmaster.com/#92855A319">20mm Length</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;">You will need 4 for each motor</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="48">
			<td height="48" style="height:48px;width:141px;">1x Micro-Motor Drill&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Buffalo Dental</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://www.buffalodental.com/pdfnew/x50.pdf">X50</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;">Any Micromotor drill will work.&#160; At least 38,000 rpm recommended</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="53">
			<td height="53" style="height:53px;width:141px;">1x 12 V DC Power Supply</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">12 Volt Adapters</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://www.12vadapters.com/adapter/power-supply/12v/7-amp-7a.html">12v DC &#8211; 7 Amp</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;">Any 12 V DC PSU should work (ensure amperage rating is higher than the sum of the motors&#8217; amperage).</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="44">
			<td height="44" style="height:44px;width:141px;">1x Extra Large Probe Holder</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Stoelting</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.stoeltingco.com/neuroscience/accessories/stereotaxic-probe-holders/extra-large-probe-holder-551.html">Stoelting</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="44">
			<td height="44" style="height:44px;width:141px;">1x Grade B Rat Skull</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Skulls Unlimited</td>
			<td><a href="http://www.skullsunlimited.com/record_variant.php?id=4009">Skulls Unlimited</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:141px;">Mach 3 Mill</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">ArtSoft USA</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://www.machsupport.com/ccount/click.php?id=1">Trial Download</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;">Any Standard CNC controlling software should work.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="44">
			<td height="44" style="height:44px;width:141px;">Surgery Designer</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Kevin Coffey &#38; David Barker</td>
			<td style="width:117px;"><a href="http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/40282-robot-assisted-stereotactic-surgery">MATLAB File Exchange</a></td>
			<td style="width:355px;">These codes are available to modify. We accept no responsibility for your use or modification of code.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

building an open-source robotic stereotaxic instrument

This protocol includes the designs and software necessary to upgrade an existing stereotaxic instrument to a robotic (CNC) stereotaxic instrument for around $1,000 (excluding a drill), using industry standard stepper motors and CNC controlling software. Each axis has variable speed control and may be operated simultaneously or independently. The robot&#39;s flexibility and open coding system (g-code) make it capable of performing custom tasks that are not supported by commercial systems. Its applications include, but are not limited to, drilling holes, sharp edge craniotomies, skull thinning, and lowering electrodes or cannula. In order to expedite the writing of g-coding for simple surgeries, we have developed custom scripts that allow individuals to design a surgery with no knowledge of programming. However, for users to get the most out of the motorized stereotax, it would be beneficial to be knowledgeable in mathematical programming and G-Coding (simple programming for CNC machining).
The recommended drill speed is greater than 40,000 rpm. The stepper motor resolution is 1.8&#176;/Step, geared to 0.346&#176;/Step. A standard stereotax has a resolution of 2.88 &#956;m/step. The maximum recommended cutting speed is 500 &#956;m/sec. The maximum recommended jogging speed is 3,500 &#956;m/sec. The maximum recommended drill bit size is HP 2.

The end result of the surgery designed in the methods will be a rat skull with a sharp edge craniotomy, and 3 skull holes (Figure 17). Note that the skull used to demonstrate the surgery was much wider than the prototypical rat skull. The sharp edge craniotomy may be used to insert a microwire array into the brain, for high density neural recordings. The CNC stereotax may also be used to lower the array with great precision. Software is included in this protocol that allows the surgeon to define the para...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Building An Open-source Robotic Stereotaxic Instrument at JoVE.com

Building An Open-source Robotic Stereotaxic Instrument

This protocol includes the designs and software necessary to upgrade an existing stereotaxic instrument to a robotic (computer numeric controlled; CNC) stereotaxic instrument for around $1,000 (excluding a drill).

This protocol includes the designs and software necessary to upgrade an existing stereotaxic instrument to a robotic (CNC) stereotaxic instrument for ...

building-an-open-source-robotic-stereotaxic-instrument

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JoVE Journal

Neuroscience

14.7K Views.  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. This protocol includes the designs and software necessary to upgrade an existing stereotaxic instrument to a robotic (computer numeric controlled; CNC) stereotaxic instrument for around $1,000 (excluding a drill).