Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
Optrode Array for Simultaneous Optogenetic Modulation and Electrical Neural Recording
Published on: September 1, 2022
Technical brief: a comparison of two methods of euthanasia on retinal dopamine levels
Christopher K Hwang1, P Michael Iuvone
1Departments of Ophthalmology and Pharmacology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Purpose:
Mice are commonly used in biomedical research, and euthanasia is an important part of mouse husbandry. Approved, humane methods of euthanasia are designed to minimize the potential for pain or discomfort, but may also influence the measurement of experimental variables.
Methods:
We compared the effects of two approved methods of mouse euthanasia on the levels of retinal dopamine. We examined the level of retinal dopamine, a commonly studied neuromodulator, following euthanasia by carbon dioxide (CO₂)-induced asphyxiation or by cervical dislocation.
Results:
We found that the level of retinal dopamine in mice euthanized through CO₂ overdose substantially differed from that in mice euthanized through cervical dislocation.
Conclusions:
The use of CO₂ as a method of euthanasia could result in an experimental artifact that could compromise results when studying labile biologic processes.
More Related Videos
10:34Double Direct Injection of Blood into the Cisterna Magna as a Model of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Published on: August 30, 2020
11:26Assessment of Dopaminergic Homeostasis in Mice by Use of High-performance Liquid Chromatography Analysis and Synaptosomal Dopamine Uptake
Published on: September 21, 2017