Enhancement and Expansion: Penn Neurophysiology and Behavior Testing Facility

 描述(由申请人提供)：非人灵长类(NHP)在高级大脑功能的基础和翻译研究中占据着至关重要的利基地位，代表着一个允许在复杂行为背景下直接、高分辨率测量和操纵大脑机制的模型系统。在其他机构因成本和其他限制而缩减NHP研究规模的时候，宾夕法尼亚大学(Penn)正在对这项研究做出强有力的、持久的承诺。这项提议的总体目标是改善动物福利和职业人类健康，同时还增加了加速影响高级大脑功能的神经发育和神经精神障碍的基础和翻译研究的好处。这是通过创建一个共享的NHP神经生理学和行为设施(NHP-NBF)来实现的，该设施将提供增强的群体社会化丰富、食物丰富、隔离和住房区域。NHP-NBF的工作将把多个资金充足的研究人员与互补的研究项目结合起来，这些研究项目检查灵长类大脑的高级功能，包括感知、认知、行动和决策。重要的是，G20的翻修支持将大大提高宾夕法尼亚大学的动物福利，因为它提供：(1)专门的社会化增殖室；(2)灵长类动物环境丰富计划的专用食物制备区；(3)专门的NHP检疫室，将允许协调动物的进口和驯化，并提高工作人员和卫生保健计划的安全性；以及(4)额外的住房房间，以缓解现有住房的压力，从而提高工作人员的安全，帮助满足受资助研究的能力需求。G20资助的浓缩计划的增强对该设施中的NHP特别重要，因为与参与许多其他类型研究的动物不同，许多NHP在设施中有非常长的驻留时间，预计会定期执行具有挑战性的行为任务。通过加强社会和食物丰富计划来减轻压力并改善NHP的整体福祉，通过增加动物的健康、寿命和生产力，为动物和宾夕法尼亚大学的研究计划提供了实质性的价值。翻新后的区域将达到或超过《保护和使用实验动物指南》(ILAR，2011)以及AAALAC、美国农业部和OLAW解释的现代要求，并与减少能源利用的整体建筑项目相辅相成。

 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.