Neurobehavioral Assessments (Small model studies)
Neurobehavioral testing includes neurotoxicity screening assays, locomotor activity assessment, sensorimotor gating assessment and learning and memory assessment.
Neurotoxicity screening assays (Functional Observational Battery or Modified Irwin Test): Testing procedure for assessing alterations in sensorimotor, neuromuscular, autonomic, physiological and central nervous system activity in rodents.
Locomotor activity assessment (motor monitor system): Automated locomotor assessment system capable of assessing general ambulatory activity, stereotypic behavior, rearing activity, central area versus periphery choice (anxiety-like behavior) and locomotor habituation at high-throughput capacity.
Sensorimotor gating assessment (acoustic startle system): The acoustic startle system is capable of assessing maximum startle response, pre-pulse inhibition and startle habituation at high-throughput capacity. Learning and memory assessment is conducted in dedicated Morris water maze setups.
Functional Observational Battery or Modified Irwin Test: Testing procedure for assessing alterations in sensorimotor, neuromuscular, autonomic, physiological and central nervous system activity.
Motor-Coordination Assessment Rotarod or Beam Walking: Spatial navigation relies upon a number of brain functions – including motor coordination. This type of test explores gross and fine motor coordination.
Short-Term Recognition Memory Novel Object Recognition: An efficient means for testing different phases of learning and memory. As rodents have an innate preference for novelty, a rodent that remembers the familiar object will spend more time exploring that novel object. This assessment relies on the rodents' natural proclivity for exploring novelty. Therefore, there is no need for numerous training sessions or reinforcement to motivate behavior.
Social Impairment and Repetitive Behaviors Socialization, Bottle Brush, Marble Burying: Assays performed in order to fully assess neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by impairments in social interactions and repetitive patterns of behaviors.
Full histopathologic assessments of the central and peripheral nervous systems are available which are fully compliant with ICH, EPA and OECD recommendations.