Preclinical and Clincial Outcomes

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The primary goal of the Preclinical & Clinical Outcomes (PCO) Core is to provide the infrastructure, expertise and resources to support bi-directional translational efforts spanning animal and human research. Combining the expertise of neurobehavioral tools in animal models and neuropsychiatric assessment methods in humans will ensure the use and development of maximally relevant tasks and measures, helping to address challenges in translational research in IDD. The PCO Core will provide investigators with a battery of validated assays for rodents and humans, with a focus on creating a translational pipeline, as well as harmonizing measures across studies. In addition, the PCO Core will provide access and training on the use of additional behavioral assays that will allow IDDRC investigators to perform critical secondary or follow-up studies to better understand the nature of any behavioral abnormality detected with a primary behavioral test battery. The Animal Phenotyping & Preclinical Endpoints sub-core provides resources for investigators to perform behavioral assessment across various domains in rodent models. This core also focuses on development of robust preclinical outcome measures for assessment of potential interventions, serving as surrogate endpoints in treatment paradigms for potential therapies. The animal phenotyping sub-core provides high quality, cost effective behavioral assessments in rodent models, expert consultation for experimental design and data analysis and training investigators to conduct behavior assessments independently. It also offers educational workshops on various topics and data analysis, technical issues, trouble-shooting and development of novel assays as preclinical outcome measures. The Human Phenotyping and Neuropsych Measures sub-core provides neurobehavioral and neuropsychiatric assessment tools, comprising questionnaire-based methods, structured clinical interviews, and task-based measures. Some of the innovative approaches provided by the human phenotyping sub-core includes a novel computer vision-based technique for quantifying dynamics of facial expression, posture, and gaze ("automated multimodal analysis"), and bio-behavioral sensing, to move beyond traditional assessment approaches. Investigators can access consultation and guidance regarding developing phenotyping batteries, which may involve the creation or utilization of novel approaches. They can also access training and/or supervision in implementing and analyzing varied tasks, together with quality assurance resources. The human phenotyping sub-core will also provide direct service in implementing tailored phenotyping approaches for mental health conditions frequently prevalent in IDD. Finally, investigators can access consultation regarding building animal to human models of disease state to facilitate translation. Thus, the PCO Core's set of unique resources and broad expertise provides IDDRC Investigators a cost- effective and flexible means for conducting cross-species translational research in IDD. .