Surgical Methods and Techniques

Overview

Much of the progress in the field of behavioral neuroscience has depended on the use of animal models that involve neurobiological methods that complement the behavioral analyses that are conducted. Many of these brain-behavior experiments have involved procedures such as brain lesions, brain stimulation and neural recording that require survival surgery. A great deal of attention should be paid to this part of the experimental process because the quality of the neural and behavioral data collected after the animal has recovered from the surgery is greatly dependent on the general postsurgical health and condition of the animal. Great care must be taken to prevent infections that may be caused by the surgery, to prevent unnecessary damage to the biological system under study (which in our case is usually the brain), and to prevent undo stress before, during and after the surgery. In this chapter, we review basic procedures associated with surgery in animal subjects.