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Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research (2003) / Chapter Skim
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5 Prolonged Nonsurvival Studies
Pages 88-93

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From page 88...
... Minimizing self-generated movements is also required in other neuroscience studies. Neuroscientists frequently resolve this problem by administering neuromuscular blocking drugs (NMBDs)
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From page 89...
... During the initial surgical preparation step, all procedures are completed under surgical anesthesia without NMBDs, and analgesics may be administered preemptively to augment the anesthetic regimen (see "Anesthesia and Analgesia" in Chapter 3~. Other studies employ a variant of the two-step paradigm that involves performing, several days before the nonsurvival recording session, a survival surgery step during which various devices are implanted (such as a cranial pedestal and cham
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From page 90...
... Obtaining a performance based assessment of the adequacy of the new anesthesia level may require that NMBDs be withdrawn to assess skeletal muscle response; however, this can entail difficulties because a long period may be needed to restore muscle responses (Hildebrand, 1997~. Noninvasive assessment of neuromuscular function with examination of evoked responses of skeletal muscle to peripheral motor nerve stimulation can facilitate monitoring both the induction of paralysis and the recovery from NMBDs (Hildebrand, 1997~.
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From page 91...
... A number of physiologic measures are helpful in monitoring animals on NMBDs, including heart rate, electroencephalogram, arterial blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, urine production and pH, end-tidal CO2 and/or blood gas concentration, rectal temperature, and general autonomic signs of arousal, such as salivation, pupil size, and lacrimation (Hildebrand, 1997; NIH, 1991~. Physiologic measures should be documented periodically throughout an experiment.
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From page 92...
... In general, the need for asepsis will depend on the duration of the experiment and the extent to which it involves the exposure of tissues or body cavities. As stated in APHIS/AC Policy 3, "nonsurvival surgeries require neither aseptic techniques nor dedicated facilities if the subjects are not anesthetized long enough to show evidence of infection." Any procedure that lasts longer than 12 hours and involves exposed tissues or body cavities presents a significant opportunity for infection to occur, and the risk increases with the length of the procedure (Knecht et al., 1987; McCurnin and Jones, 1985~.
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From page 93...
... Institutions should develop policies and guidelines to assist investigators in adapting aseptic surgical procedures to the laboratory setting. Topics that should be considered in preparing guidelines include preparation of the laboratory room, with particular attention to the site where surgery and recording will take place (for example, taking into account the relative locations of supply and exhaust ventilation ducts with respect to airborne contamination of the surgical field)
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Key Terms

  • neuroscience experiments
  • nonsurvival experiments
  • aseptic technique
  • renal function
  • recording session

  • neuromuscular blocking
  • blood pressure
  • nonsurvival recording
  • minor procedures
  • body cavities

  • aseptic techniques
  • paralyze skeletal
  • heart rate
  • initial surgical
  • surgery step

  • nonsurvival neuroscience
  • fixed anesthetic
  • human observer
  • physiological state
  • anesthetic level

  • skeletal muscle
  • skeletal muscles
  • blocking drugs
  • surgical preparation
  • artificial ventilation

  • aseptic procedures
  • issues involved
  • laboratory setting
  • special measures
  • experimental animals


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