Protocol for intra-nerve AAV injection and dorsal root potential recording for optogenetic modulation of the peripheral sensory nerve activity

Optogenetic modulation of peripheral sensory nerve activity holds great potential for the treatment of sensory disorders. Here, we present a protocol for applying optogenetic techniques to peripheral sensory nerves using an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector. We describe the procedure for gene transduction into dorsal root ganglion neurons via retrograde transport following intra-nerve AAV injection. We then outline a terminal, acute electrophysiological experiment to evaluate optogenetic effects at the level of the dorsal root. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Kosugi et al1. Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=195 SRC="FIGDIR/small/693516v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (33K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@5a2de4org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@7ad4f0org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@32113aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@10918c9_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG