Abstract: Stereotaxic instrument is an indispensable tool for numerous types of neuroscience studies and is routinely performed in neuroscience laboratories as part of a variety of experimental procedures. Due to the development of robotics and automation, the stereotaxic instrument for rodents has made great progress, while it is relatively backward and scarce for birds. A digital stereotaxic instrument for pigeons (Columba livia), a classic animal model for learning, memory and cognition, was developed in this study. Its performance was verified from three aspects including stereotaxic accuracy, stereotaxic stability and stereotaxic reproducibility. The developed stereotaxic instrument has the following characteristics: (1) a digital positioning system was used, which is characterized by high stereotaxic accuracy; (2) a novel head-fixation system was developed to increase the adaptability of head-fixation; (3) a four-point fixation method was suggested, improving the stability of head-fixation; (4) the stereotaxic instrument has strong versatility, which can be suitable for a wide variety of birds. Moreover, the proposed stereotaxic instrument has better positioning accuracy and stability, which will promote the study of neural mechanisms for pigeons.

Key words: Pigeons , · Stereotaxic instrument , · Digital positioning system , · Head fxation system , · Reproducibility