Enhancement and Expansion: Penn Neurophysiology and Behavior Testing Facility



 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Non-human primates (NHPs) occupy a vital niche in basic and translational studies of higher brain function, representing a model system that allows for direct, high-resolution measurements and manipulations of brain mechanisms in the context of complex behaviors. At a time when other institutions are downsizing NHP research because of cost and other constraints, the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is making a strong, lasting commitment to this research. The overall goal of this proposal is to improve animal welfare and occupational human health, with the added simultaneous benefit of accelerating basic and translation research in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders that affect high-level brain function. This is accomplished by creating a shared NHP Neurophysiology and Behavior Facility (NHP-NBF) that will provide enhanced group socialization enrichment, food enrichment, quarantine, and housing areas. Work in the NHP- NBF will coalesce multiple well-funded investigators with complementary research programs that examine high-level functions of the primate brain, including perception, cognition, action and decision-making. Importantly, G20 renovation support will substantially enhance animal welfare at Penn by providing: (1) a dedicated socialization enrichment room; (2) a dedicated food preparation area for the primate environmental enrichment program; (3) a dedicated NHP quarantine room that will allow coordinated importation and acclimation of animals and improve safety for staff and NHPs; and (4) an additional housing room to decompress current housing rooms, thereby enhancing staff safety and to help meet the capacity demand of funded research. The G20-funded enhancements in the enrichment program are particularly important for the NHPs in the facility because, unlike animals involved in many other types of research, many of the NHPs have very long residencies in the facility and are expected to perform challenging behavioral tasks on a regular basis. Reducing stress and improving the overall well-being of NHPs via enhanced social and food enrichment programs provide substantial value to the animals and to Penn's research programs by increasing the animal's health, longevity, and productivity. The renovated areas will meet or exceed modern requirements, as stated in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (ILAR, 2011) and as interpreted by AAALAC, the USDA and OLAW, and is complementary to an overall building project that will reduce energy utilization.