Project Details

1. Habituation: After arrival, rats handled to get them used to human interaction.
2. Data Logger Surgery: Rats implanted with temperature-sensing data loggers.
3. Formulating Medications: We formulate medications that produce a sense of hot or cold.
4. Experimentation (Before Lesions): Rats move in thermogradient once medication is injected or rubbed on and data is collected regarding their position/time.
5. Lesion Surgery: Rat brain is either selectively lesioned (experimental variable) OR is given a sham lesion (control variable).
6. Experimentation (After Lesions): Rats move in thermogradient after an area of the brain is deactivated (exception: sham-lesion rats) and data is collected regarding their position/time.
7. Euthanization and Brain Extraction: Rats euthanized and brain is collected.
8. Immunohistochemistry: Rat brain is cut into tissue slices and stained with dye for further data analysis.