Improved anesthesia protocols for fMlU studies in rats: the use of medetomidine for stable, reversible sedation

a-Chloralose is the standard anesthetic for functional MRI experiments in rats. There are however some disadvantages related to the use of this anesthetic. The most prominent ones are the fluctuating depth of anesthesia due to the slow onset of action, the induced metabolic acidosis and the non-recovery aspect of the experiment. An alternative anesthetic was found that circumvented these problems without diminishing the BOLD response: medetomidine (DomitorB). Using a dosage regime of 50 pgkg and a continuous infusion of 100 pgkglhr results in a stable longlasting deep sedation and a quick recovery at the end of the experiment.