A novel method of head fixation for the study of rodent facial function

The rodent vibrissial system offers an excellent model for the study of both sensory and motor function. It has been widely employed to gather data pertaining to sensory and motor function involving the 5th and 7th cranial nerves and the central nervous system. Existing methods of head fixation for precise measurements of ocular and vibrissial function involve exposing the cranium and applying dental cement from which two or more threaded rods emerge. This common approach is suboptimal, requiring a relatively complicated implantation procedure, and results in a large, chronic interface between the scalp and environmentally exposed implant material attached to the skull. Here we describe a head fixation device that is inexpensive, easy to build, less prone to infection, preserves access to the cranial midline, and permits repeated measurements over many months.