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Mouse cap
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The mouse cap was designed in the Buzsaki lab as a fast and flexible solution for protecting silicon probe implants. It consists of a headplate that is connected to the skull and two side walls to close off the implant after probe insertion. The design is open source, so you can get all the information to make it yourself in the link below. If you prefer a prepared solution with the necessary parts, we offer it here. Our mouse cap comes with

  • 3D printed headplate and side walls, tapped and with screws
  • long header pins for walls
  • protective, conductive mesh

Please note:

  1. The mesh we ship is different from the Dexmet mesh used in the Buzsaki lab, it has a slightly different look and feel but works similarly
  2. Soldering is required in the recommended assembly and implantation procedures
  3. The cap works best with larger mice. See this preprint by the Stark lab for hybrid mice on which it has been used in the Buzsaki lab

Detailed assembly instructions including videos can be found on the Buzsaki lab github page. If you want to print some parts of the design yourself, you can also find the source files there. For a deeper dive into protective headgear, check out headgear info page.

Comparison between our head gear systems

(RAT CAP BASE & ) COPPER MESH RAT CAP MOUSE CAP 3DNEURO MOUSE CROWN
Intended species* Mouse + Rat Rat Mouse* Mouse*
Difficulty of use
Advanced
Medium
Medium
Medium
Flexibility
Extremely flexible
Flexible (large enough for most use cases)
Limited (space becomes issue with >1 drive)
Limited (space becomes issue with >1 drive)
Time requirement during surgery**
20-30min (mouse), 45-60min (rat)**
5-10min**
5-10min**
5-10min**
Requires soldering during surgery
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Integrated head-fixation
No
No
No
Optional
Available area***
Whole skull
Approx. Weight (printed parts only) ****
0.9g
8.3g
1.575g
1.05g

* implants intended for mice can, in principle, be used in rats as well, but might require reinforcement
** for copper mesh: includes building and closing the mesh; for others: closing the implant after drive(s) secured on skull
*** area on skull that can be used to place drives
**** final weight will vary slightly depending on how much dental acrylic you use

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