Mouse Behavior Core

The goal of the Mouse Behavior Core is to provide the highest quality assessment of the neurological status and specific behaviors in mice for investigators who use murine models to address questions about basic biology or disease in the CNS.

Our facility was established to consolidate, centralize and standardize mouse behavioral testing in order to lower the barriers to integrating behavioral studies, foster innovation, and facilitate collaboration. The Core Director is Dr. Erin Lind.

The Core provides consultation of project design, test selection and data analysis, access to and training on behavioral equipment, and full-service testing performed by experienced core staff.  Following an initial consultation, a PI may decide to have testing performed by dedicated, experienced Core staff or to have members of the investigator’s own lab trained to run the tests of interest.

Currently, we offer support for running a wide range of tests including assays of neuromotor function (e.g. activity, coordination and gait analysis), affective behavior (anxiety, depression, addiction), and cognition (reference and working memory, instrumental and spatial navigation tasks). With two sites (Wallin Medical Bioscience Building and Jackson Hall), there are ample and highly accessible opportunities for researchers to utilize core resources to expand the scope of their investigations.

Papers from our Core

Singh B, Covelo A, Martell-Martínez H, Nanclares C, Sherman MA, Okematti E, Meints J, Teravskis PJ, Gallardo C, Savonenko AV, Benneyworth MA, Lesné SE, Liao D, Araque A, Lee MK (2019). Tau is required for progressive synaptic and memory deficits in a transgenic mouse model of a-synucleinopathy. Acta Neuropathologica  PMID:31168644

Benneyworth MA, Hearing MC, Asp AJ, Madayag A, Ingebretson AE, Schmidt CE, Silvis KA, Larson EB, Ebner SR, Thomas MJ (2019). Synaptic Depotentiation and mGluR5 Activity in the Nucleus Accumbens Drive Cocaine-Primed Reinstatement of Place Preference. J Neurosci 39(24):4785-4796 PMID:30948476

Vo BN, Abney KK, Anderson A, Marron Fernandez de Velasco E, Benneyworth MA, Daniels JS, Morrison RD, Hopkins CR, Weaver CD, Wickman K (2018). VU0810464, a non-urea G protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (Kir 3/GIRK) channel activator, exhibits enhanced selectivity for neuronal Kir 3 channels and reduces stress-induced hyperthermia in mice. Br J Pharmacol 176(13):2238-2249 PMID:30924523

Friedrich J, Kordasiewica HB, O’Callaghan B, Handler H, Wagener C, Duvick L, Swayze EE, Rainwater O, Hofstra B, Benneyworth MA, Nichols-Meade T, Yang P, Chen Z, Perez Ortix J, Clark HB, Oz G, Larson S, Zoghbi HY, Henzler C, Orr HT (2018) Antisense oligonucleotide-mediated Ataxin-1 reduction prolongs survival in SCA1 mice and reveals disease-associated transcriptome profiles. JCI Insight 3(21) PMID:30385727

Teravakis P, Covelo A, Miller E. Singh B, Martell-Martinez H. Benneyworth MA, Gallardo C, Oxnard B, Araque A, Lee MK, Liao D (2018) A53T mutant alpha-synuclein induces tau dependent postsynaptic impairment independent of neurodegenerative changes. J Neurosci 38(45):9754-9767 PMID: 30249789

Lin YL, Tsai HC, Liu PY, Benneyworth M, Wei LN (2017) Receptor-interacting protein 140 as a co-repressor of Heat Shock Factor 1 regulates neuronal stress response.  Cell Death Dis 8(12):3203 PMID:29233969

Martin-Fernandez M, Jamison S, Robin LM, Zhao Z, Martin ED, Aguilar J, Benneyworth MA, Marsicano G, Araque A (2017) Synapse-specific astrocyte gating of amygdala-related behavior. Nat Neurosci. 2017 Sep 25. doi: 10.1038/nn.4649. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 28945222

Laoharawee K, Podetz-Pedersen KM, Nguyen TT, Evenstar LB, Kitto KF, Nan Z, Fairbanks CA, Low WC, Kozarsky KF, McIvor RS. (2017) Prevention of Neurocognitive Deficiency in Mucopolysaccharidosis Type II Mice By CNS-Directed, AAV9-Mediated Iduronate Sulfatase Gene Transfer. Hum Gene Ther. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 28478695

Belur LR, Temme A, Podetz-Pedersen KM, Riedl M, Vulchanova L, Robinson N, Hanson LR, Kozarsky KF, Orchard PJ, Frey Ii WH, Low WC, McIvor RS. (2017) Intranasal Adeno-Associated Virus Mediated Gene Delivery and Expression of Human Iduronidase in the Central Nervous System: A Noninvasive and Effective Approach for Prevention of Neurologic Disease in Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I. Hum Gene Ther. [Epub ahead of print] PMID:2846259

Kennedy BC, Dimova JG, Dakoji S, Yuan LL, Gewirtz JC, Tran PV. (2016) Deletion of Novel Protein TMEM35 Alters Stress-related Functions and Impairs Long-term Memory in Mice. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 311(1):R166-78 PMID:27170659

Victoria NC, Marron Fernandez de Velasco E, Ostrovskaya O, Metzger S, Xia Z, Kotecki L, Benneyworth MA, Zink AN, Martemyanov KA, Wickman K. (2015) G Protein-Gated K+ Channel Ablation in Forebrain Pyramidal Neurons Selectively Impairs Fear Learning. Biol Psychiatry. 2015 Nov 10. PMID: 26612516

McBrayer ZL, Dimova J, Pisansky MT, Sun M, Beppu H, Gewirtz JC, O'Connor MB (2015) Forebrain-Specific Loss of BMPRII in Mice Reduces Anxiety and Increases Object Exploration. PLoS One. Oct 7;10 PMID:26444546

Wydeven N, Fernandez de Velasco EM, Du Y, Benneyworth MA, Hearing MC, Fischer RA, Thomas MJ, Weaver CD, Wickman K (2014) Mechanisms underlying the activation of G-protein–gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels by the novel anxiolytic drug, ML297 Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 111(29): 10755–10760. PMCID: PMC4115558

Le Naour M, Lunzer MM, Powers MD, Kalyuzhny AE, Benneyworth MA, Thomas MJ, Portoghese PS (2014) KOR opioid heteromers as targets for developing analgesics free of adverse effects. J Med Chem. 57(15):6383-92. PMCID: PMC4136663