Grafting Immortalized Hippocampal Cells into the Brain of the Adult and the Newborn Rat

Abstract

We describe methods for grafting cultured cells into the newborn and the adult rat using as an example the immortalized hippocampal cell line HiB5. We discuss cell labeling strategies and animal preparation prior to as well as animal care after surgery. The principles of stereotaxic surgery are presented with a standard protocol for transplantation into the adult. A grafting technique that allows micro-volumes of cell suspension to be precisely placed in very small target sites with minimum trauma is described. Also described is a detailed protocol for stereotaxic placement in the newborn that utilizes a new instrument that allows safe, prolonged anesthesia and accurate, reproducible placement of cell suspensions.