Primate Core

Emory University Center for Neuroscience of Mental Disorders（CNMD）的灵长类动物模型核心（Core 9002）将作为研究项目使用的所有非人灵长类动物的来源。本核心的主要目标是建立、维护和表征一个非人灵长类动物表观遗传早期生活应激（ELS）模型，该模型涉及恒河猴（M。mulatta）母婴二人组，以间歇性的产妇分离形式造成社会不稳定。在该方案中，从产后3个月开始，将母亲从由4-5名女性和一名男性组成的社会群体中移除短时间（0.5、3或6小时）。每次分离的时间和持续时间均由伪随机化时间表确定。动物在90天内（3-6月龄）共经历3- 6次分离。在过去的4年里，这个核心已经产生和表征了大约70只动物（大约100只）。从02年开始每年20只动物）。进行广泛的神经内分泌和行为表征沿着结构MRI，以确定和验证这些动物的表型。该核心的一个重要目标是描述这些动物在经历青春期等重大转变时的发育变化。根据下丘脑和下丘脑外CRF系统特定研究的要求，将动物分配至各个Conte项目（项目0001）， 免疫系统功能（项目0009）、听觉惊吓（项目0006）、认知和药物滥用倾向（项目0010）、结构和功能神经回路的多模式成像（项目0013）。这一程序提供了重要的优势和有效性来源：（1）由范式强加的偶然性是自然主义的，婴儿的发展受到母亲可用性的不可预测的变化的影响，（2）当婴儿开始探索他们的环境时，在婴儿寻求安慰的关键发展时期，这些要求被强加，（3）正如在一些人类精神病理学中发现的那样，缺陷反映在猴子成年后对压力经历的反应能力上。将该灵长类动物模型与遗传和ELS啮齿类动物模型（见核心9001）进行比较，将允许各个研究项目测试以下论点：在不同物种中，相似的神经回路和细胞内机制受到遗传和表观遗传因素的影响，从而引起抑郁样综合征。除了生产，表征和维护这些 动物，Core 9003将根据个别研究项目的要求协助取样或外科手术、药物治疗或尸检。该组织允许动物处理和所有方案的实施保持一致，以便每个Conte研究项目接收相同特征和治疗的动物进行研究。

The Primate Animal Model Core (Core 9002) of the Emory University Center for Neuroscience of Mental Disorders (CNMD) will serve as the source of all non-human primates used by the Research Projects. The primary goal of this Core is to produce, maintain and characterize a non-human primate epigenetic early life stress (ELS) model involving neonatal exposure of rhesus monkey (M. mulatta) mother-infant dyads to social instability in the form of intermittent maternal separations. In this protocol, beginning at 3 months postpartum mothers are removed from social groups composed of 4-5 females and a single male for short (0.5, 3 or 6 hr) intervals. Both the timing and the duration of each separation are determined by a pseudo-randomized schedule. Animals experience a total of 36 separations over a 90 day period (from 3-6 months of age). Over the past 4 years, this Core has produced and characterized approximately 70 animals (approx. 20 animals per year beginning in year 02). Extensive neuroendocrine and behavioral characterization along with structural MRI is performed to determine and verify the phenotype of these animals. One important goal of this Core is to characterize developmental changes in these animals as they pass through significant transitions such as puberty. Animals are assigned to individual Conte Projects as required for specific studies of hypothalamic and extra-hypothalamic CRF systems (Project 0001), immune system function (Project 0009), acoustic startle (Project 0006), cognition and drug abuse liability (Project 0010), multimodal imaging of structural and functional neurocircuits (Project 0013). This procedure offers important advantages and sources of validity: (1) the contingencies imposed by the paradigm are naturalistic, infant development is influenced by unpredictable changes in mother's availability, (2) the demands are imposed during a critical period of development when infants solicit reassurance as they begin to explore their environment, (3) as found in some human psychopathologies, deficits are reflected in the capacity of monkeys to respond to stressful experiences as adults. Comparison of this primate model with the genetic and ELS rodent models (see Core 9001) will permit individual Research Projects to test the thesis that, in diverse species, similar neurocircuits and intracellular mechanisms are impacted by genetic and epigenetic factors across which give rise to a depressive-like syndrome. In addition to production, characterization and maintenance of these animals, Core 9003 will assist in sampling or surgical procedures, drug treatments, or necropsy as required by individual Research Projects. This organization allows consistency in animal handling and implementation of all protocols so that each Conte Research Project receives identically characterized and treated animals for study.