In Vivo Calcium Imaging of Barrel Cortex

The mice with CR-formation and unpaired control were anesthetized by intraperitoneal injections of urethane (1.5 g/kg). In the surgical operations, the anesthetic depth was lack of reflexes in pinch withdrawal and eyelid blinking. The body temperature was maintained by computer-controlled heating blanket at 37°C. Ca²⁺-sensitive dye, Oregon Green BAPTA-1-AM (OGB-1, Invitrogen, USA), was used to measure neuronal activities. A craniotomy (2 mm) was made on the skull above barrel cortical areas (1 mm posterior to the bregma and 3.5 mm lateral to the midline; [42 ]). The dura was intact in all experiments. The detailed information about surgical operation, dye loading, and posttreatment for imaging can be referred in our studies [28 (link), 43 (link)].