Long-Term Stable Recording of Single-Neuron Spike Activity in the Amygdala in Conscious Rabbits

The development of current technologies for neurophysiological research has made it possible to observe the activity of large numbers of neurons involved in the operation of distributed neural neurons in the whole brain. An important aspect of such studies is the stability of the signal being recorded, which determines the ability to make recordings from a single cell for prolonged periods. The aim of the present work was to assess the possibility of using chronically implanted multiple microwires for stable recording of the activity of individual neurons in the rabbit brain. Experiments were performed on two adult male European rabbits (Orictolagus cuniculus), in which bundles of microwires were implanted in the amygdala. Experimental data were captured over periods of 72 days in rabbit No. 1 and 964 days in rabbit No. 2. Assessment of neuron signal recording quality showed that the recording device used here made high-quality recordings of the activity of single neurons over long periods. Use of an automated algorithm identified stable recordings of single neurons, which in future will provide for multifaceted investigations of changes in the activity of brain cells with complex behavior.