Analyses of Neurite and Spine Formation by In Utero Electroporation in Mice

Dendrite morphologyDendrite morphology and dendritic spinesDendritic spines are key features of the neuronal networks in the brain. Abnormalities in these features have been observed in patients with psychiatric disorders and mouseMice models of these diseases. In utero electroporationIn utero electroporation (IUE) is an easy and efficient gene transfer system for developing mouseMice embryos in the uterusUterus. By combining with the Cre–loxP system, the morphology of individual neurons can be clearly and sparsely visualized. Here, we describe how this labeling system can be applied to visualize and evaluate the dendrites and dendritic spinesDendritic spines of cortical neurons.