Work

Ventral skull based approach to whole-brain extraction in mice

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Head fixation combined with cranial window, GRIN lens, or prism implantation are common techniques in systems neuroscience for real-time imaging of neural activity. A critical step in these experiments is the removal of these implants and subsequent histological processing to assess tissue integrity and verify opsin expression. However, removing implants from the dorsal surface of the skull often causes traumatic damage to the underlying cortex. This study introduces a novel technique for intact brain excision that removes dorsal implants while preserving cortical integrity. Instead of the conventional dorsal approach, which often risks cortical damage, the skull is resected from the ventral side, allowing the implant to remain in place for post-mortem analysis. This approach:•Enables dorsal implants to remain embedded in the brain during fixation.•Improves reproducibility by standardizing the extraction method, reducing variability introduced by traditional dorsal implant removal.•Preserves tissue integrity that would otherwise be compromised by removing the implant from fresh brain tissue.

Source: MethodsX

DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2026.103787

Authors: Alexandra N. Buntin-Nakamura, Daniel Quintana

Institution: University of California, Berkeley

Language: English

Topic: Neuroscience and Neural Engineering

Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,260