CORE--NEUROBEHAVIORAL FACILITY

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The general objective of this Core is to provide a facility behavioral effects of genetic, pharmacological, and surgical manipulations in mice and rats tat are recovering from stroke or cardiac arrest/CPR. Behavioral examination is an integral part of the post-ischemic recovery period and is correlated with physiological data and histological end-points for each animal. This is a novel approach in the field of experimental cerebral ischemia and cardiac arrest/CPR because long term behavioral outcomes are rarely examined. Most work has emphasized histological and morphological measures of injury (or recovery). Further, in some cases, behavioral changes may be the most salient phenotypic expression observed among mutant mice. In Aims 1 and 2, the behavioral consequences of sigma- receptor activation are assessed in normal and post-ischemic rats and in PPBP treated mice, as well as mice genetically deficient in neuronal nitric oxide synthase. In Aims 3 and 4, we will determine if neurobehavioral outcomes after experimental stroke are more favorable in female versus male rats and if stroke injury is exacerbated in transgenic mice deficient in estrogen receptors (estrogen receptor knock-outs). Lastly, cognitive dysfunction after cardiac arrest/CPR is evaluated in Aim 5 and 3 transgenic mouse strains as a function of neuronal cytotoxicity. The Neurobehavioral Core will utilize the animals obtained from each project to gain new insight into the functional vulnerability of specific brain regions to ischemic injury and the potential for plasticity in recovery of sensory motor function, memory, and simple cognitive tasks.