Duke-NUS Behavioral Phenotyping Core Facility
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 do provide 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 at:
Duke-NUS Medical School
8 College Road Singapore 169857
Email: behav.core@duke-nus.edu.sg
Equipment
The behavioral equipment that are available include locomotor activity boxes (AccuScan Instruments), treadmill (CleverSys Inc.), runway (Cleversys Inc.), balance beam (custom made), rotorod (San Diego Instruments), grip strength meter (San Diego Instruments), zero maze (custom made), light/dark boxes (custom made), Y-maze (San Diego Instruments), object test chambers (custom made), tail suspension chambers (Med Associates), contextual and cued fear conditioning chambers (Med Associates), startle sensitivity / prepulse inhibition chambers (San Diego Instruments), active / passive avoidance Gemini chambers (San Diego Instruments), and a 3-chamber social interaction box (Cleversys Inc.). In addition to the specialized software provided by the respective equipment suppliers, automated video-tracking softwares from CleverSys Inc. is also used. The facility is also equipped with biosafety cabinets for tissue harvesting to take place after completion of a behavioral study.
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:
