? RODENT BEHAVIOR CORE The present application seeks funding to continue the MIND Institute Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) at the University of California, Davis. The IDDRC was launched in 2013 and is the newest of the 14 IDDRCs in the network. The goal of the RBC is to support IDDRC projects using translational rat and mouse models to advance understanding and treatment of the behavioral outcomes of genetic, neuroanatomical, immunological, and environmental causes of IDDs. The RBC is designed to address three specific aims.
Aim 1 is to provide innovative, high quality, state-of-the-art behavioral testing of mice and rats to enhance the quality and productivity of IDD research. The RBC will address this aim by offering a comprehensive battery of neurobehavioral assays and related services, with tiers of service ranging from consultation to full implementation of the study by RBC staff.
Aim 2 is to provide learning opportunities for trainees and faculty to become expert in rodent behavioral testing procedures, experimental design, and accurate interpretation of data.
This aim will be addressed by RBC staff offering involvement in the life cycle of each study, from initial consultation in study design and selection of assays to hands-on training and supervision in implementation of assays to consultation on data interpretation and input on manuscripts and grant applications.
Aim 3 is to contribute to the IDDRC network in disseminating best practices and standardizing rodent behavioral testing protocols.
This aim will be addressed by leveraging the internationally recognized expertise of the RBC leadership in mouse and rat behavior assays to develop collaborations and consultations with other IDDRC Rodent Cores; to participate in cross-IDDRC training of core personnel on novel, specialized behavioral assays; and to validate standardized protocols for rodent behavioral assays. Infused in all activities of the RBC as it addresses these aims is the imperative for rigor and reproducibility in preclinical research. The RBC strives to ensure that all IDDRC studies include the necessary control assays, conduct two or more corroborative assays within a behavioral domain, replicate findings in a second independent cohort, use breeding strategies to obtain genotype controls, employ group sizes sufficient to achieve statistical power, and use males and females to address sex as a biological variable. The Director of the RBC is Jacqueline Crawley, PhD.
