Preclinical Core Component 3

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PROJECT SUMMARY The Preclinical Core supports the mission of the Center for Brain Recovery and Repair by providing well- validated measures of both structural and functional alterations for investigators utilizing preclinical models of neurological disorders. The Core is a centralized resource providing intellectual guidance, technical expertise, training and instrumentation for high quality automated behavioral and structural analyses, broadly applicable across a range of preclinical models of brain and behavioral illnesses. Through cultivation of new research programs and collaborative interactions between young investigators and established experts, the Core has played an essential role in elevating the excellence of brain injury and repair research at UNM. Overall, the goal of the Core is to leverage our success in Phase I to catapult preclinical research capacity to the critical mass of funded investigators required to support the Center’s mission of self-sustainability beyond IDeA-level funding. We will continue to provide the resources and expertise required to support interdisciplinary cutting-edge research projects of Project Leads in neurophysiological mechanisms of brain recovery and repair, and to expand our user base of new and established investigators through project development and strategic investment in state-of-the-art instrumentation, approaches and methodologies. Via the cultivation of innovative new research programs and increased collaborative interactions between junior investigators and established scientists the Core will contribute to the sustainability of the Center for Brain Recovery and Repair as a nationally recognized leader for translational research in brain recovery. Since being established in 2015, the Preclinical Core has helped advance the field by leading in the development of translational EEG as a platform for assessing homology of neural activity during behaviors across species. Phase II builds on these successes with the combination of physiological and behavioral approaches, and adds higher throughput anatomical assessments to speed studies utilizing sophisticated confocal imaging. Continuing from Phase I, the Core will promote the Center mission of accelerating the trajectory of Project Leads toward independent NIH-R01 level funding for Junior Investigators or establishing themselves in the field of brain injury for more senior Investigators. The Preclinical Core will continue to foster multidisciplinary interactions between clinical and preclinical investigators at UNM and across the Mountain West. We will also provide a platform for the discovery of novel therapeutic avenues for brain recovery and repair using preclinical models that will enhance the overall level of excellence in this vital area of neuroscience research.