We use these headplates in our experiments, made from titanium, steel or aluminum (for young mice). You can print them at SendCutSend for cheap.
For very young mice, we cut the rectangular aluminum headplates in 2 halves and use only one half for implantation.
The headplates are mounted on the skull using glass ionomer cements (GC Fuji or 3M ESPE Relyx Unicem). The tapped hole fits a 4-40 screw and attaches to a holder (see below).
HEADPLATE HOLDERS
We use small holders for surgeries and larger ones for experiments. They have a threaded tap on one end to attach the headplate and a thread in the body to attach them to ThorLabs 1/2 inch post or a small optical post (the threads are easy to customize).
All our surgical setups are assembled from ThorLabs parts, mostly mini-optical posts, their bases and holders (see photo). You can attach a small plastic tube to the other end and cover it with an earbud cover to act as a non-piercing head holder for intracranial injections (see stereotactic stations for more details).
We use Kent Scientific SomnoSuite (it requires little space and no oxygen).
