Animal Behavior and Physiology Core (AB&P)

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ABSTRACT The mission of the Animal Behavior and Physiology (AB&P) Core is to enable deep animal model phenotyping and early-phase CNS drug and gene therapy discovery by providing cutting-edge behavioral and physiological assays and related scientific expertise to the IDD research community. In line with the mission, the AB&P Core is therefore designed to synergize cutting-edge behavior and in vivo physiology analysis. As a facility focused on in vivo IDD models, the AB&P Core will provide unified services to IDDRC investigators at the interface between the molecular/cellular and clinical/translational IDDRC components. The Core enables (1) the standardization and validation of experimental procedures with appropriate rigor and reproducibility, (2) quantitative and in-depth mammalian IDD model phenotyping, and (3) the development of translational biomarkers, particularly for purposes of detecting target engagement by experimental therapeutics. The integration of behavioral endpoints with quantitative physiological biomarkers provides a means for assessing both preclinical proof of concept and clinical trial readiness of proposed IDD treatments. As new technologies become available, the Core rapidly introduces them into its tool portfolio and makes them available to Core users. In addition to providing the experimental platforms, the Core provides deep expertise in in vivo experimental design, signal analysis and overall study interpretation.