A primary goal of the DEARC is to determine the consequences of exposure to ethanol during development on brain structure and function. Development is defined as encompassing the gestational period through adolescence, inclusive. All projects described in this application will use rodents (Sprague- Dawley rats and mice) as a model; thus, the ANIMAL CORE is a critical component for the DEARC. The ANIMAL CORE has multiple roles within the Center. It provides a rodent breeding program, standardized modes of ethanol administration (and administration of other drugs), standardized maintenance of pregnant, pre-weanling, and adolescent rodents, standardized determination of blood and brain ethanol concentrations (BECs and BrECs, respectively), collaboration in the design of experimental paradigms, and maintenance of a database containing maternal/litter data. As all animal research will be performed in Binghamton (Binghamton University) and Syracuse (Upstate Medical University), there are two components to the ANIMAL CORE. Each subdivision will be supervised by a member with more than a dozen years of experience with animal models, many of those years performing alcohol research. The subdivisions offer complementary, non-overlapping models of ethanol exposure. Having a coordinated ANIMAL CORE increases the efficient use of animals and standardizes the generation of animals. This is critical for the generation of compatible models that are the basis for the proposed anatomical, biochemical, molecular biological, and behavioral studies. To this end, the ANIMAL CORE will purchase, house, and breed animals. In addition, BECs and BrECs will be determined and databases following the subjects (cradle-to-grave) will be maintained by the ANIMAL CORE.
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