Abstract

Dopamine neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) are involved in several physiological and pathological processes, ranging from motor control to decision-making. For example, a deficit in the activity of these neurons is associated with Parkinson’s disease, while an increase in their activity has been associated with the compulsive drug seeking. Therefore, the study of the electrical activity of the SNc neurons is essential to continue studying the contribution of the nigrostriatal pathway to cognitive and behavioral processes. In this chapter, we describe a detailed protocol to carry out electrophysiological “single-unit recording” in dopamine neurons of the SNc in anesthetized rats. In addition, we provide electrophysiological criteria to classify different neuronal types and statistical tools to determine the effect of an acute injection of amphetamine on the activity of SNc neurons.