Simultaneous Recordings of Central and Peripheral Bioelectrical Signals in a Freely Moving Rodent

Understanding physiological interactions between the central and peripheral nervous systems requires an experimental strategy to simultaneously monitor activity patterns of the brain and peripheral organs. In this study, we developed a novel method to record extracellular field potential signals from a wide range of brain regions together with electrocardiograms, electromyograms, and breathing signals from a freely moving rodent. This method collects all recorded signals into a single device mounted on an animal's head, allowing the reduction of experimental costs and the simplification of data processing. The methodological concept is applicable to a number of biological research issues of how the brain-body association is altered in response to various environmental changes, emotional challenges, and acute and chronic dysfunction of internal organs.