Duke-NUS - Behavioral Phenotyping Core Facility

Duke-NUS Behavioral Phenotyping Core Facility


Introduction

Transgenic mouse models are useful tools to study the pathophysiology of human diseases. In combination with pharmacological treatments, mouse behavioral phenotyping becomes increasingly important. The Duke-NUS Behavioral Phenotyping Core Facility was established to provide investigators with the expertise and equipment to perform behavioral phenotyping of various mouse models. This facility has the capacity to analyze mouse models that recapitulate certain symptoms in neurological, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders using a wide variety of behavioral paradigms, including assays for sensory and motor abilities, cognitive function, and depressive and anxiety behaviors. We provide training for researchers to carry out behavioural testing on their own, advice on study feasibility, experimental design and execution, and data analysis and interpretation. As such, we encourage investigators, from within Duke-NUS and the external research communities, who are interested in using the facility to contact us.


Contact Information

Dr Wong Peiyan, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor, Neuroscience & Behavioural Disorders Program | gmswpy@nus.edu.sg


Location

Vivarium, Duke-NUS Medical Research School, 8 College Road, Singapore 169857


Equipment

The behavioral equipment that are available include locomotor activity boxes, treadmill, runway, balance beam, rotarod, grip strength meter, zero maze, light/dark boxes, Y-maze, object test chambers, tail suspension chambers, contextual and cued fear conditioning, startle sensitivity / prepulse inhibition chambers and a 3-chamber social interaction box. Automated video-tracking software from CleverSys Inc. is also available. The facility is also equipped with biosafety cabinets for tissue harvesting to take place after completion of a behavioral study.

rotarod

treadmill

y maze

Rotarod

Treadmill

Y Maze

zero maze

fear conditioning chamber

prepulse inhibition chamber

Zero Maze

Fear Conditioning Chamber

Prepulse Inhibition Chamber


Services

A battery of behavioral assays is available at the core facility and we are constantly working with investigators to design new paradigms that suit their needs. A summary of the regularly requested tests is as follows:

Sensory/Motor

Anxiety/Depression

Cognition

Grip Strength

Tail Suspension

Novel Object Recognition

Rotorod

Zero Maze

Social Transmission of Food Preference

Open Field Activity

Light / Dark Box

Y-Maze Spontaneous Alternation

Startle Sensitivity

 

Social Interaction

Prepulse Inhibition

 

Contextual/Cued Fear Conditioning

Runway Gait Test

 

 

Treadmill Gait Test

 

 

Balance Beam

 

 

Runway

 

 

 

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