In vivo single unit extracellular recordings from spinal cord neurones of rats

A method for in vivo single unit extracellular recordings from the dorsal horn of rat or mouse spinal cords is described. This method allows the complex, dynamic and plastic circuitry of the dorsal horn to be explored in various models and situations. Briefly, the spinal cord is exposed in deeply anaesthetised animals and a recording electrode is inserted into the dorsal horn. To isolate a neurone the electrode is moved incrementally through the cord whilst the ipsilateral hindpaw (receptive field) is stimulated with a light tap. The neurone can then be characterised according to its depth, latency of Abeta-, Adelta- and C-fibre responses and its response to natural (brush, heat, pressure) and electrical stimulation. The neuronal response is captured, filtered, amplified and displayed via an oscilloscope and speakers, and fed through to a computer where the responses can be integrated and displayed in numerous formats. This basic technique can be adapted to record from animals of various ages, to investigate alterations in spinal processing, suprapsinal influences, receptive field size and so on, and to assess the impact of therapeutic or other interventions. A key issue is that this type of approach, unlike behavioural assessment that relies on threshold measures, allows quantitative measures of suprathreshold activity, closer to the clinical situation.