Experiments/Optogenetic Activation of Direct-Pathway MSNs

Source Paper

Regulation of parkinsonian motor behaviours by optogenetic control of basal ganglia circuitry

Alexxai V. Kravitz, Benjamin S. Freeze, Philip R. L. Parker, Kenneth Kay, Myo T. Thwin et al.

Nature • 2010

DOI PMC

Optogenetic Activation of Direct-Pathway MSNs

behavioralmouseD1-Cre and D2-Cre BAC transgenic mice

Objective: To directly activate basal ganglia circuitry using optogenetic control of direct- and indirect-pathway medium spiny projection neurons (MSNs) and measure effects on motor behavior including freezing, bradykinesia, and locomotor initiation

This is a Optogenetic Activation of Direct-Pathway MSNs protocol using mouse as the model organism. The procedure involves 5 procedural steps, 2 equipment items, 1 materials. Extracted from a 2010 paper published in Nature.

Workflow actionsRequest QuoteOpen Source Paper

Jump to Vendor Comparison

Overview Experimental Context Protocol Vendor Comparison Materials Checklist Evidence / Verification Related Experiments

Replication Essentials

Model and subjects

mouse • D1-Cre and D2-Cre BAC transgenic mice • Not specified • Not specified • Not specified • Not specified

Study window

Estimated timing pending

Core workflow

Viral vector preparation and injection • Stereotaxic injection into striatum • Optogenetic activation of indirect-pathway MSNs

Primary readouts

Freezing behavior
Bradykinesia (slow movement)
Locomotor initiation
Locomotion

Key equipment and reagents

Optogenetic stimulation apparatusBehavioral testing arena

Before You Start

Use this page as an execution guide, then fall back to the source paper whenever you need exact exclusions, dosing details, or assay-specific caveats.

Confirm first

Verify the animal model, intervention setup, and collection timepoints against the source paper.
Check that every direct vendor link matches the exact specification your lab plans to run.

Use the page like this

Work through the protocol steps in order and use the inline vendor chips only when you need to source or verify an item.
Jump to Experimental Context for readouts, data shape, and analysis flow before planning downstream analysis.

Jump to vendor comparison Jump to checklist Jump to methods evidence

Protocol Steps

Start here. The step list is optimized for running the experiment, with direct vendor links available inline when you need to source a cited item.

Viral vector preparation and injection

Prepare Cre-dependent viral expression vectors containing channelrhodopsin-2 for injection into striatum

Not specifiedNot specified

Note: Vectors designed for Cre-dependent expression in D1-Cre and D2-Cre transgenic mice

View evidence from paper

“Cre-dependent viral expression of channelrhodopsin-2 in the striatum of D1-Cre and D2-Cre BAC transgenic mice”

Stereotaxic injection into striatum

Inject viral vectors containing channelrhodopsin-2 into the striatum of transgenic mice

Not specifiedNot specified

Note: Bilateral injection to target both direct and indirect pathway MSNs

View evidence from paper

“Cre-dependent viral expression of channelrhodopsin-2 in the striatum of D1-Cre and D2-Cre BAC transgenic mice”

Optogenetic activation of indirect-pathway MSNs

Bilaterally excite indirect-pathway MSNs using optogenetic stimulation and observe resulting motor behavior

Not specifiedNot specified

Note: Activation elicits parkinsonian state with increased freezing, bradykinesia, and decreased locomotor initiations

View evidence from paper

“Bilateral excitation of indirect-pathway MSNs elicited a parkinsonian state, distinguished by increased freezing, bradykinesia, and decreased locomotor initiations”