A telemetry study on the chronic effects of microdialyis probe implantation on the activity pattern and temperature rhythm of the rat

The present study describes the effects of implantation of microdialysis probes on temperature and activity rhythms of the rat, measured with a telemetry system. For comparison two widely used types of microdialysis probes were investigated, a transcerebral probe, inserted into the pineal gland and a set of two I-shaped concentric probes, implanted bilateral into the striatum. Starting from 5 days before the operation until 8 days after surgery, activity and temperature recordings were carried out continuously with the help of previously implanted transmitters. In separate experiments the effects of two different types of anaesthesia (chloralhydrate and Hypnorm®) were determined. The results show that there is a pronounced effect of surgery on amplitude and rhythmicity of the temperature and activity patterns which is still detectable 6-7 days after operation. Few differences were noticed between the transverse probe and the I-shaped probes. Anaesthesia alone induced much smaller changes, most of which had disappeared within 2 or 3 days after the treatment. The duration of action of chloralhydrate is somewhat longer compared to Hypnorm®. The conclusion is that when microdialysis is used in behavioural experiments, the effects of the surgical procedure should be taken into account. If these effects are serious, the use of previously implanted guide cannulae might be necessary.