In vivo whole-cell recording from morphologically identified mouse superior colliculus neurons

TL;DR

This paper presents a detailed protocol for performing in vivo whole-cell recordings combined with morphological identification in the mouse superior colliculus, facilitating the study of synaptic processing in specific neuron types.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive step-by-step method for in vivo whole-cell recording and morphological labeling in the mouse superior colliculus, adaptable to other brain regions.

Findings

Protocol enables subthreshold synaptic analysis in identified neurons.

Applicable to various visual stimulation methods.

Facilitates morphological and functional correlation in vivo.

Abstract

In vivo whole-cell recording when combined with morphological characterization after biocytin labeling is a powerful technique to study subthreshold synaptic processing in cell-type-identified neuronal populations. Here, we provide a step-by-step procedure for performing whole-cell recordings in the superior colliculus of urethane-anesthetized mice, a major visual processing region in the rodent brain. Two types of visual stimulation methods are described. While we focus on superior colliculus neurons, this protocol is applicable to other brain areas.