Stereotaxic Surgery for Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Lesions in Mice

Site-specific lesions are invaluable methods for investigating the function of brain regions within the central nervous system and can be used to study neural mechanisms of behaviors. Precise stereotaxic surgery is required to lesion small regions of the brain such as the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), which harbors the master circadian clock. In this protocol, we describe stereotaxic surgery optimized for bilateral lesion of the mouse SCN by loading electric current. Success of the SCN lesion is verified histologically and behaviorally by monitoring arrhythmic locomotor activity. The SCN-lesioned mouse allows for the evaluation of behavioral, biochemical, and physiological consequences of ablation of the master circadian clock.