Behavioural unit for high resolution motor phenotyping

用于高分辨率运动表型分析的行为单元

• 批准号: RTI-2021-00643
• 负责人: Trudeau, Vance
• 金额: $ 10.18万
• 依托单位: University of Ottawa
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Research Tools and Instruments
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=718204
• 关键词: Behavioural; unit; resolution; motor; phenotyping

A multidisciplinary team of researchers with expertise in studying development, reproductive and metabolic physiology, and behaviour in zebrafish will assemble a behavioural unit dedicated to high resolution analysis of movement. The zebrafish is quickly becoming an invaluable animal model for the study of physiological, ecological, and biomedical phenomena. Overt and minute changes in behaviour of zebrafish can be used as a readout to determine the effects on the organism of such things as gene mutations, changes in hormones, or chemical exposure. However, behavioural studies in any animal model can be confounded by environmental variables or by stress. To avoid these confounding factors, the “Unit” will be comprised of two platforms located in a dedicated and isolated space. The first platform is comprised of aquatics housing with superior light control so that animals can be isolated from the main colony and pre-adapted to appropriate conditions for the study of complex behaviours without stress or disturbance. A second platform will allow simultaneous recording and analysis by high resolution, long duration video cameras. There is no other unit or equipment with similar capabilities available at the University or elsewhere in Ottawa. The proposed system will dramatically increase research output and eliminate confounding effects of stress and environment in our studies. The behavioural unit will provide researchers with unprecedented details on the genes that control the interactions of females and males during reproductive events and for the development of the nervous system and its consequence on brain function and motor behaviour. Our HQP will be provided with an invaluable opportunity for the cutting-edge training needed for fields such as animal development and physiology, neurobiology and toxicology, as well as bioinformatics, machine learning and complex behavioural data analysis. They will be highly sought after by academia, industry, or government research departments as research using zebrafish and behavioural studies become more significant for biomedical models of disease, pharmaceutical screening, and toxicology.

一个多学科的研究人员团队，在研究斑马鱼的发育，生殖和代谢生理学以及行为方面具有专业知识，他们将组建一个专门用于高分辨率运动分析的行为单元。斑马鱼正迅速成为研究生理学、生态学和生物医学现象的宝贵动物模型。斑马鱼行为上明显而微小的变化可以作为一个读数，用来确定基因突变、激素变化或化学暴露等对生物体的影响。然而，任何动物模型的行为研究都可能受到环境变量或压力的干扰。为避免这些混淆因素，“单元”将由两个平台组成，位于一个专用的隔离空间。第一个平台由具有上级光控制的水族箱组成，使得动物可以与主群体隔离，并预先适应用于研究复杂行为的适当条件，而没有压力或干扰。第二个平台将允许同时记录和分析的高分辨率，长时间的视频摄像机。 在大学或渥太华的其他地方，没有其他具有类似能力的单位或设备。 该系统将大大提高研究成果，消除压力和环境在我们的研究混淆的影响。行为单元将为研究人员提供有关基因的前所未有的详细信息，这些基因控制着生殖过程中女性和男性的相互作用，以及神经系统的发育及其对大脑功能和运动行为的影响。我们的HQP将为动物发育和生理学，神经生物学和毒理学以及生物信息学，机器学习和复杂行为数据分析等领域所需的尖端培训提供宝贵的机会。它们将受到学术界、工业界或政府研究部门的高度追捧，因为使用斑马鱼的研究和行为研究对于疾病的生物医学模型、药物筛选和毒理学变得更加重要。