Enhancing Neuroscience Research at Tufts: Expansion of the Animal Behavior Core

描述（由申请人提供）：一个严重的全球公共卫生问题涉及维持生活质量和有效性，因为人们寿命更长，因此更容易受到慢性和急性疾病和病症的影响。认识到这一机会，塔夫茨大学的现任政府已经投资于神经科学研究和教育的跨学科领域，目标是将这一领域发展成为其领先的项目之一。该计划的核心是确定分子遗传操作的行为后果，长期目标是确定新的治疗靶点，用于治疗癫痫，抑郁症，学习，记忆和认知障碍以及神经退行性疾病。这些研究需要对小鼠行为进行详细分析，因此获得行为测试设施对于当代转化神经科学研究至关重要。在塔夫茨大学医学院（TUSM），我们的行为测试设施是我们实验动物医学部（DLAM）的一个组成部分。然而，DLAM的行为设施不再具有支持我们不断发展的研究社区的研究所需的能力。我们申请资金扩大DLAM内的鼠行为设施。我们的目标是为塔夫茨大学的神经科学研究社区提供一个总计1，753平方英尺的共享设施（比目前的设施增加了1.78倍），提供必要的先进的行为测试服务，以加速高影响力的研究。目标1：在现有的实验动物医学部（DLAM）设施内扩大动物行为设施。我们将把行为核心扩展到邻近的DLAM空间，从而使研究小鼠行为的测试室数量增加一倍。我们还将扩大位于该设施内的反向光循环小鼠饲养室的笼容量，同时维持包括手术室在内的额外设施。行为核心扩建将利用TUSM的额外资金，为DLAM改造新空间，这将使笼容量净增加。目标2：为先进的行为测试模块和动物饲养室提供足够的容量和设施。由于现有行为核心内的空间有限，许多行为测试设备位于存储中，并且需要穿梭于行为核心内以适应每个研究者的需求。核心的扩展将使我们能够开发针对特定行为模式的单独测试室，并使我们能够在核心内全职容纳这些设备。来自NCRR的支持以及塔夫茨大学提供的其他投资，将允许一种伙伴关系，使我们对大脑疾病的理解取得重大突破，包括癫痫，抑郁症，精神分裂症和阿尔茨海默病。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): A serious global public health problem concerns maintaining the quality and effectiveness of life as people live longer and are thus susceptible to more chronic and acute diseases and disorders. Recognizing this opportunity, the current administration of Tufts University has invested in the interdisciplinary area of Neurosciences research and education with the goal of developing this field into one of its leading programs. At the heart of this plan is the identification of the behavioral consequences of molecular genetic manipulations with the long term goal of identifying new therapeutic targets for the treatment of disorders such as epilepsy, depression, disorders of learning, memory and cognition, as well as neurodegenerative disorders. Such studies require a detailed analysis of murine behavior, and thus access to behavioral testing facilities is essential for contemporary translational neuroscience research. At Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM), our behavioral testing facility is an integral component of our Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM). However, the behavioral facility of DLAM no longer has the capacity required to support the research of our growing research community. We request funds to expand the murine behavioral facility within DLAM. Our goal is to provide the Neuroscience research community at Tufts with a shared facility totaling 1,753 square feet (a 1.78-fold increase over the current facility) that provides a necessary range of advanced state- of-the-art behavioral testing services in order to accelerate high-impact research. Aim 1: Enlarge the Animal Behavior Facility within the existing Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM) facilities. We will expand the Behavior Core into adjacent DLAM space, resulting in a doubling of the number of testing rooms for studying murine behavior. We will also expand the cage capacity of a reverse light cycle mouse holding room that is located in the facility while maintaining additional facilities that include a procedure room for surgery. The behavior core expansion will leverage additional funds from TUSM for the renovation of new space for DLAM that will yield a net increase in cage capacity. Aim 2: Provide adequate capacity and facilities for advanced behavioral testing modules and animal holding rooms. Because of limited space within the existing behavior core, much of behavioral testing equipment sits in storage and needs to be shuttled in and out of the behavior core to accommodate each investigator's needs. The expansion of the core will allow us to develop individual testing rooms targeted to specific behavioral modalities and will allow us to accommodate this equipment on a full time basis within the core. Support from the NCRR together with other investments provided by Tufts University, will allow a partnership that allows dramatic breakthroughs in our understanding of disorders of the brain, including epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease.