Desipramine hydrochloride

6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA; 6-hydroxydopamine hydrobromide with ascorbic acid: Sigma-Aldrich #H116-5MG) injections were made into the medial forebrain bundle of P120 female mice as previously described (Thiele et al., 2012 (link)). 30 min before 6-OHDA injection, a solution containing 0.5 mg/ml pargyline (Sigma Aldrich #P8013) and 2.5 mg/ml desipramine hydrochloride (Tocris #3067) was injected i.p. at a dose of 5 mg/kg pargyline and 25 mg/kg desipramine. 200 nl of freshly prepared 15 mg/ml 6-OHDA in sterile saline + 0.02% ascorbic acid were injected into the medial forebrain bundle (MFB, coordinates from bregma: M/L ± 1.2 mm, A/P 1.2 mm, D/V –4.90 mm). Adult female wild-type mice were used as younger mice and male mice showed poor recovery following injection. 250–350 µl of meloxicam (5–10 mg/kg dose) was injected subcutaneously as an analgesic.
Mice were monitored daily following the injection to ensure recovery. Kitten Milk Replacement (Santa Cruz #sc-362120) was fed to mice daily for up to 2 wk following the injection to aid recovery and meloxicam was injected subcutaneously to alleviate pain if necessary. Motor function was assessed using the cylinder test each week following the injection (see below). 4 wk following 6-OHDA injection, mice were quickly anesthetized using isoflurane and decapitated, and their brains were fresh-frozen as described above for FISH.