Center for the Neurobiology of Addiction Treatment Animal and Tissue Core Summary Dr. Mark Ferris, Core Director; Dr. Paul Czoty, co-investigator The overall objective of the Animal and Tissue Core is to generate, track and distribute tissue from experimental animals to multiple in vivo and in vitro experiments. The Core will centralize and standardize the generation, storage and transfer of brain tissue from rodents to Projects 2 and 3. These studies include self- administration, viral mediated gene knockdown of dopaminergic D2 receptors and acute/chronic treatment with putative medications identified in Project 1. By taking responsibility for the generation of these animals for studies in Projects 2 and 3, the Core will ensure that all subjects will be treated and euthanized in a standardized manner. Brain and peripheral tissue will be organized and stored by the Core, which will ensure accurate recording of the subjects' behavioral and pharmacological histories. The Core will distribute this tissue under blinded conditions to investigators in Projects 2 and 3 for imaging and biochemical studies. Careful preparation and handling of these samples and meticulous organization of information are required to ensure that reliable conclusions can be obtained from experiments using these tissue samples, which makes the Animal and Tissue Core an essential component of the Center. The specific goals are: 1. To generate groups of rats with viral mediated gene knockdown targeted against D2 receptors for Projects 2 and 3. 2. To generate groups of rats with a history of cocaine self-administration (with and without medication treatment and viral mediated gene knockdown) for Projects 2 and 3. 3. To provide a central locus for detailed record-keeping for all tissues stored within the Core and to provide timely distribution of this tissue under double-blinded conditions to Projects 2 and 3. 4. To collect and bank rodent brains that will be generated by cocaine self-administration studies in Project 1 for biochemical analyses of putative treatment drugs and other potential future uses. 5. To collect and bank nonhuman primate blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for analysis of metabolites of putative treatment drugs and other potential future uses, and bank nonhuman primate brain samples as they become available after studies in Project 1 are completed. 6. To maintain the tissue bank and periodically biopsy tissue to ensure tissue integrity.
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