Microdrive

MD-1 Microdrive
 
How to use the Microdrive Unit 
 
**We recommend that you work with the entire setup before implanting the guide cannula.**
 
1. Unscrew the guide cannula from the bottom of the Microdrive and implant the guide cannula. The bottom of the cannula can be cut shorter if desired.
 
2. Insert an electrode or another guide cannula into the top of the Microdrive and screw it in as far as it will go. The major components of the Microdrive consists of a shaft, an outer sleeve, and a locking nut.
 
3. Screw the locking nut to the bottom of the Microdrive shaft.
 
4. Turn the outer sleeve counterclockwise until it reaches the top of the Microdrive shaft. Turn the sleeve slowly when near the top of the shaft, and you will feel a stopping point. (If you go beyond this point, the sleeve will come completely off the shaft.) This places the electrode or guide cannula at the shortest depth in the brain.
 
5. As you turn the sleeve clockwise, it lowers the electrode 0.45mm per complete turn. You may want to make a mark on the Microdrive at the starting point so that you know when you have made a complete turn.
 
6. Once you have lowered the electrode or guide cannula to the desired depth, turn the locking nut until it is against the base of the sleeve you just turned. This locks the sleeve, and therefore the electrode or guide cannula, in place.