Recent refinements to cranial implants for rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta)

• Published in: Lab animal Vol. 45; no. 5; pp. 180 - 186
• Main Authors: Johnston, Jessica M., Cohen, Yale E., Shirley, Harry, Tsunada, Joji, Bennur, Sharath, Christison-Lagay, Kate, Veeder, Christin L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.05.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Acrylic Resins - adverse effects; Analysis; Animal behavior; Animal Models; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Craniotomy - adverse effects; Dental Cements - adverse effects; Implants, Artificial; Implants, Experimental - adverse effects; Implants, Experimental - microbiology; Life Sciences; Macaca mulatta - surgery; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Monkey Diseases - microbiology; Monkey Diseases - prevention & control; Nervous system; Neurophysiology; Neurophysiology - instrumentation; Neurophysiology - methods; Postoperative Complications - veterinary; Prosthesis; resource; Rhesus monkey; Skull - surgery; Surgical Wound Infection - microbiology; Surgical Wound Infection - prevention & control; Surgical Wound Infection - veterinary; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Wound Healing
• ISSN: 0093-7355; 1548-4475
• DOI: 10.1038/laban.997

The advent of cranial implants revolutionized primate neurophysiological research because they allow researchers to stably record neural activity from monkeys during active behavior. Cranial implants have improved over the years since their introduction, but chronic implants still increase the risk for medical complications including bacterial contamination and resultant infection, chronic inflammation, bone and tissue loss and complications related to the use of dental acrylic. These complications can lead to implant failure and early termination of study protocols. In an effort to reduce complications, we describe several refinements that have helped us improve cranial implants and the wellbeing of implanted primates.