Equipment to investigate social brain development in adolescence in rats.

众所周知，产前和新生儿生活中的经历可以深刻地影响大脑的发育。在过去的大约15年里，我的研究项目的长期目标是了解青春期的发育可塑性--更具体地说，青春期的生活经历在多大程度上塑造了大脑在成年后的持续发育。这项研究是在老鼠身上进行的，这让我能够操纵它们在青春期的社会环境，然后相对于对照组的老鼠，调查这些经历对大脑和行为发育的影响。涉及的主要操作是社会不稳定压力，即在青春期中期连续16天每天将老鼠与不同的笼子伴侣配对。为了使我们能够看到大脑中的特定蛋白质，并对大脑结构进行特定的形态测量，我们依赖于对脑组织薄片的分析，这些薄片是通过使用低温恒温器获得的。低温恒温器用于脑切片，用于免疫组织化学、原位杂交、放射自显影和高尔基染色，并用于定位植入大脑的插管的位置。我们目前的低温恒温器(14岁)不再运行，我们需要一个新的。为了获得和分析大脑切片的图像，我们依赖于目前的显微镜(尼康Eclipse 80i)及其相关的软件和硬件。我正在寻求升级系统(也是14岁)，以便能够更有效地分析大脑部分，并增加对神经元结构的新分析能力。每年有8-10名HQP在我的实验室接受培训，所需的设备是基础性的，因为该设备允许培训其他技术，而这些技术只有在所需的设备下才可能实现。我的实验室中HQP数量的增长对显微镜提出了很高的要求，学生们经常发现很难安排时间使用它；显微镜系统的主要升级涉及自动化、更好的图像采集和升级的图像分析软件。这些功能将丰富我们的研究成果，使图像采集和分析更有效，允许总部更多地访问设备。低温恒温器和显微镜对于我的研究计划和HQP项目的及时完成都是必不可少的。*要求的物品：一个低温恒温器NX50，尼康Eclipse 80i显微镜系统升级。

It is well known that experiences in prenatal and neonatal life can profoundly influence how the brain develops. For about the last 15 years, the long-term objective of my research program is to understand the developmental plasticity of the adolescent period of life – more specifically, the extent to which life experiences in adolescence shape the ongoing development of the brain into adulthood. This research is conducted in rats, which allows me to manipulate their social environment in adolescence to then investigate how these experiences influenced brain and behavioural development relative to control groups of rats. The main manipulation involved is social instability stress, which involves pairing rats with a different cage partner daily for 16 days in mid-adolescence. To allow us to visualize specific proteins in the brain and to make specific morphological measurements of brain structures, we rely on analysis of thin sections of brain tissue, which are obtained with the use of a cryostat. The cryostat is used for brain sections for immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, autoradiography, and Golgi staining, and to localize the placement of cannula implanted in the brains. Our current cryostat (14 years old) is no longer operational, and we require a new one. To obtain images of, and to analyze, the brain sections, we have relied on our current microscope (Nikon Eclipse 80i) and its associated software and hardware. I am are seeking to upgrade the system (also 14 years old) to allow more efficient analysis of brain sections and to add the capability for new analyses of neuronal structure. Each year, 8-10 HQP are receiving training in my lab, and the equipment requested is foundational, as this equipment permits the training of other techniques that are only possible with the equipment requested.The growth in the number of HQP in my lab has placed great demands on the microscope, and students often find that it is difficult to schedule time to use it; the main upgrade to the microscope system involves automation, better image acquisition and upgraded software for image analysis. These features will enrich our research findings and make image acquisition and analysis more efficient, allowing for greater access to the equipment by HQP. The cryostat and microscope are essential for my research program and for the timely completion of HQP projects.***ITEMS REQUESTED: a Cryostat NX50, NIKON Eclipse 80i microscope system upgrades.