Currently, our group specializes in the following techniques, though we are constantly undergoing training and establishing collaborations to advance new methods and enhance the quality of our existing protocols.

Stereotaxic Surgery

• Stereotaxy in rats and mice: For intracranial injection of viral vectors, and the implantation of fibers and recording electrodes.

Electrophysiological Recordings

• In vivo recordings: Two complete setups for single-unit and extracellular activity recording in anesthetized animals.
• In vitro recordings: One setup for single-unit/extracellular activity and patch-clamp recordings.

Fiber Photometry

• Fiber photometry recording in both anesthetized and freely moving animals: GCaMP, noradrenaline, and dopamine sensors.

Behavioral Testing

• Execution of behavioral tests related to the clinical presentation of Parkinson’s disease: motor activity, cognitive symptomatology, anxiety-like behaviors, fear and pain response, etc.

Tissue and Sample Processing

• Rat and mouse perfusion.
• Sectioning via cryostat, freezing microtome, and vibratome.
• Dissection.
• Blood extraction for obtaining serum, platelets, and PBMCs.
• Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and immunofluorescence (IF) assays.

Microscopy and Image Analysis

• Fluorescence, Apotome, confocal, and brightfield microscopy.
• Stereology (Mercator).
• Area, intensity, and/or cell count analysis using Fiji/ImageJ scripts on fluorescence images.

Biomarker Identification

• Microbiome studies (in collaboration with Dr. Leticia Abecia's group).
• Analysis of reactive antibodies in serum and mitochondrial activity in blood cells (in collaboration with Dr. Gabriel Barreda's group).