Sponsored Content by Ted Pella, Inc.Aug 10 2018
The Brain Matrix has been built by Ted Pella to make free-hand brain dissection easier for researchers, and is available for a variety of species including: adult rat, rat pup, adult mouse, adult gerbil, guinea pig, adult ferret, adult rabbit, hamster, adult Rhesus, dog, and cat brains.
The Brain matrices are provided with coronal or sagittal channels, placed exactly 1.0 mm center-to-center, this guide channel makes incisions much more straight forward. There are also various options for chamber size in the tissue matrices, such as rectangular, spherical and “V” shaped. Each comes in various sizes with channels that are placed exactly 1.0 mm center-to-center.
For ease of cleaning and sterilization, each matrix is made of high-grade zinc. Vibratome® Matrices are constructed using PTFE treated anodized aluminum for easy removal. If there is an issue with either of these two materials, plastic and acrylic matrices are also available. The following guidelines are in place to make the Brain Matrix experience as simple as possible.
Instructions for Use
- Once the brain is removed from the skull, place it ventral side up in the Brain Matrix. When properly seated in the matrix the brain's ventral surface should be parallel with the top surface of the mold.
- Empirical use will determine which channel the first razor blade should be placed in. Ted Pella recommends the use of three double-edge blades, which have the top edge covered with tape for safety. These blades are thinner than normal single-edge blades and therefore allow for the placement of two blades in the same channel. The blade can be broken to allow for both sides to be used.
- Place the first blade in the channel, which lies on the caudal-most boundary of the slice you plan to take; two blades should then be placed in the channel, which corresponds to the rostral boundary. Each channel utilized adds 1 mm to the thickness of the slice. Now that all three blades are in place, the first and second blade can be lifted out while leaving the third (rostral most blade) in place. The slice desired will be lifted out between these two blades. The third blade, which is left in place, serves two purposes: 1) it eliminates any movement of the brain within the matrix, and 2) it now serves as the first blade, which will be utilized for the removal of the next slice. Note: Slot width is approximately 0.012” (0.305 mm).
If the Brain Matrix is used as described here then the investigator will easily be able to slice this, and each subsequent section, as thin as 1 mm along the entire section of brain.
After the target slice has been taken, those regions which are still of interest can be dissected or punched from the slice.
Blades
Product No. 121-6 Double edged breakable style blade, box/250
Double edge, PTFE coated stainless steel blade
Sharp edges; may be broken in half lengthwise (protect fingers and use eye protection).
Edge width 1.5" (38 mm). Blade thickness 0.004" (0.102 mm).
Product No. 121-9 Feather® 2-edge blade, pkg/10
Double edge, carbon steel blade
Sharp edges; may be broken in half lengthwise (protect fingers and use eye protection).
Edge width 1.455" (36.95 mm). Blade thickness 0.005" (0.127 mm).
Product No. 121-95 Blades for use with Brain Matrices, pkg/25.
Single edge, carbon steel blade
Edge width 4.65" (118 mm). Blade thickness 0.009" (0.229 mm).
Ted Pella, Inc.
Ted Pella, Inc. manufactures and resells instruments and supplies to laboratories dedicated to a variety of types of microscopy Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy, Confocal Laser Microscopy, Light Microscopy and Electron Microprobe Analysis. They serve colleges and universities, private companies, hospitals and various branches of government, domestic and international. For over 44 years they have served a diverse set of fields including Biology, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Failure Analysis, Forensics, Genetics, Histology, Materials Science, MEMS, Materialography/Metallography, Microelectronics, Nanotechnology, Neurosciences, Pathology, Pharmaceuticals, Physics, Quality Assurance and Semiconductors. Ted Pella, Inc.’s corporate headquarters are located in Redding, California. The company is privately held.
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