Reconfigurable 3D-Printed headplates for reproducible and rapid implantation of EEG, EMG and depth electrodes in mice

Mouse models are beneficial to understanding neural networks given a wide array of transgenic mice and cell-selective techniques. However, instrumentation of mice for neurophysiological studies is difficult. Often surgery is prolonged with experimental error arising from non-concurrent and variable implantations. While similar approaches with microelectrodes have been used in rats before, and related approaches exist for targeting tetrodes to one brain region, we do not know of similar head-plates for mice, nor a strictly source-code and easily reconfigurable approach. We describe a method that provides: Implantation of the headplate reliably takes less than 40 minutes, enabling a cohort of eight mice to be implanted in one day. Good quality recordings were obtained after surgical recovery and the headplate was stable for at least four weeks. Microwire electrode placement was found to be accurate.