[Histonet] Hemisecting a fresh-frozen brain

[Hilary Smith]

Hi everyone

I need to sagitally hemisect a fresh-frozen rhesus brain that has been stored at -80°C .  Does anyone have any advice on the best way to go about this?  I imagine warming it to about -20°C to reduce brittleness might be a good idea but I am not sure what my weapon of choice should be.  Can't use anything that will generate heat of course.  Will a non-serrated blade such as a tissue slicer blade do the trick at -20°C?  Or do I need to go to something like an ultrafine wire saw?  Or ultrafine hacksaw perhaps?  I welcome even the most outlandish suggestions!

Thanks,

Hilary

Hilary Smith
Research Assistant
Neuroimaging Lab
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Medical Center Boulevard
Winston-Salem,  NC 27157
Phone 336.716.8649
Fax 336.716.8689