Fig. 4

DRG extraction and cleaning. a, b The spinal cord is peeled from the pinned column in a rostral to caudal direction. c–e The meninges are identified as translucent sheets of tissue covering the DRG (c), and carefully removed (d), making the DRG easier to see (e). f Individual ganglia are extricated by clasping and lifting with forceps the distally projecting axon bundles found on the lateral side of the DRG. Care must be taken not to damage the DRG with the forceps. g, h DRG are then pinned out via their axons, and any residual meninges removed (g), before cutting the axons close to the DRG (h). In all panels, the rostral end is to the left and the caudal end to the right, and black arrows and arrowheads highlight DRG and axon bundles, respectively, while white arrows identify the meninges. In a–e, the medial aspect is facing up. Scale bars 0.5 cm