Rodent inner ear dissection

The goal of rodent inner ear dissection is to isolate tissues for study. Common targets include spiral ganglion and Organ of Corti. This dissection may take anywhere from 10 to 60 minutes, depending on skill level. [cite journal |last= Hellstrom |first= S.|authorlink= |coauthors= Salen, B. and Stenfors, LE|year= 1982|title= Anatomy of the rat middle ear. A study under the dissection microscope.|journal= Acta Anat (Basel)|volume= 112|issue= 4|pages= 346--52|id= |url= |accessdate= 2007-11-21 ]

Procedure

After isolating the skull of the rodent, the skin is peeled back to reveal the skull. This is then bisected to reveal two mirror image halves that can be separately dissected. Cerebral tissue is removed to provide access to the cochlea. This is punctured and peeled away under the microscope. From here, the Organ of Corti and spiral ganglion may be removed with forceps.

References