Cranial Window Surgery for Mice

For cranial window surgery mice were anesthetized using isoflurane (2.5% for induction, 1.5–2% during surgery). A circular craniotomy (2–2.5 mm diameter) was made above V1 (centered 2.7 mm left, and 0.2 mm anterior to Lambda suture) and covered with 1% agarose. A 3 mm round glass coverslip (no. 1 thickness, Warner Instruments) was cemented to the brain using black dental cement (Contemporary Ortho-Jet). A custom titanium head post was cemented to the skull. The animal was then placed under a microscope on a warm blanket (37°C) and kept anesthetized using 0.5% isoflurane and sedated with chlorprothixene (20–40 µl at 0.33 mg/ml, i.m.) [27] (link).