Welcome to the Seattle Children’s Research Institute's Behavioral Phenotyping Core (BPC), an institutional resource to enable efficient and equitable access to a state-of-the-art facility and expertise to advance collaborative, cutting-edge pediatric research.
The BPC is dedicated to the protocol driven collection, analysis, and reporting of behavioral data using a blend of classic and innovative assays. This core is designed to support a wide range of research areas, including neuroscience, psychology, pharmacology, genetics, cancer, and development by providing advanced tools and expertise for the precise measurement and interpretation of behavior.
Behavioral Phenotyping Equipment and Services
The BPC serves researchers at SCRI by providing dedicated space and infrastructure to support behavioral studies from start to finish. The services provided include:
- Staff training
- Experimental design
- Experimental set up
- Behavioral tests
- Comprehensive experimental support: creating a custom research plan that includes the number of animals required, a tailored battery of behavioral tests designed to test hypotheses and a projected timeline
- Data analysis
- Behavioral equipment development: creation of custom fabricated equipment tailored to specific experimental needs
The BPC has several standardized assays available to evaluate cognitive, motor and social behavior. Specialized equipment is also available to quantify physiological responses (breathing, sleep, etc.). All behavioral tests are conducted in isolated rooms to minimize environmental effects. Video recording is available as well. Commonly used equipment includes:
- Tail-Flick Latency
- Paw Withdrawal Latency
- Rotarod
- Erasmus Ladder
- Morris Water Maze
- Chronic Intermittent Hypoxia Chamber
- Sustained Hypoxia Chamber
- Open Field Test
- 3 Chamber Social Approach Apparatus
- 2 Chamber Preference Test
- Whole-Body Plethysmography
- Social Approach Test
- Automated feeder
- Piezoelectric Sleep Cages with Mouse Quake System
- Lickometer
- Elevated Plus Maze
Request Services
Behavioral Phenotyping Core services are available to users within and outside of Seattle Children’s. Please access the Core’s iLab page for up-to-date information on instrumentation availability and to request training, equipment access and services.
Please contact [email protected] to discuss research needs and services.
Rates
To view rates for behavioral phenotyping services, please visit this page.
Acknowledging Core Contributions
The BPC’s services and expertise are made available by the scientist/s who provide them. As such, proper acknowledgement is critical to demonstrate scientific contributions made by the BPC and its scientists. These contributions include paid technical assistance, use of equipment and space, experiment consultation, protocol development, etc. Acknowledgements in research publications, grant proposals, abstracts, presentations and posters allow the BPC to justify its funding status and ensure it can continue to provide scientific services in the future. Example acknowledgements are listed below:
- “[Behavioral assay, etc.] was performed by the Behavioral Phenotyping Core at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.”
- “We thank Behavioral Phenotyping Core at Seattle Children’s Research Institute for its assistance with the completion of [assay/experiment/analysis/etc.]”
Additionally, BPC scientists may make contributions significant enough to warrant authorship on research publications such as novel assay development, experimental design, data collection, data analysis and assistance with manuscript drafting. In these instances, it is recommended that authorship be granted based on the level of contribution in accordance with the National Institute of Health (NIH) guidelines for authorship contributions.
Location
Behavioral Phenotyping Core
Seattle Children’s Research Institute
1900 Ninth Ave., 10th Floor
Seattle, WA 98101
Contact
- General: [email protected]
- Zack Glovak, PhD: Zack.Glovak@seattlechildrens.org