Jaakko Paasonen1, Raimo A Salo1, Artem Shatillo2, and Olli Gröhn1
Prevention of motion is a
prerequisite for preclinical functional connectivity (FC) studies. However, anesthesia
alters brain function, and awake protocols may induce stress. Therefore, we
investigated the feasibility of using light sedation in FC studies. FC was
estimated under 0.1/0.5% isoflurane (subanesthetic doses) with acclimatized rats,
and under 1.3% isoflurane (anesthetic dose). Results demonstrate different FC between
anesthetic and subanesthetic doses. The physiologic measures suggest, that the 0.5%
rats adapted well to imaging, while the 0.1% rats did so insufficiently.
Therefore, light isoflurane sedation may provide an excellent combination for
FC investigations: minimal stress and motion with normal brain function.
