The Animal Models/Biochemical Measurement Core of The Scripps Research Institute Alcohol Research Center (TSRI-ARC) provides a variety of behavioral and bioanalytical services to meet the specific needs of the Center at large. The first goal of the Core is to provide animals engaged in excessive drinking or have a history of excessive drinking using the intermittent access to ethanol drinking (IAE) model or chronic ethanol-induced dependence (CEID) model to TSRI-ARC and Center at Large investigators. In addition, the Core also supervises all changes in equipment and procedures and any refinement of the current animal models in order to ensure that standardized procedures are used across all laboratories.

 

The second goal of the Core is to perform behavioral and biochemical measurements to support ARC-related projects and to establish a rodent tissue bank for use by alcohol researchers worldwide. Such measurements include blood alcohol, cortisol/corticosterone, and ACTH levels, as well as brain amino acid and endocannabinoid content. By carrying out these procedures, the Animal Models Core provides analytical services to investigators who do not have the expertise or capability to otherwise obtain these biochemical measures using standardized protocols.

 

Finally, the third goal of the Core is to provide preclinical testing to all TSRI-ARC PIs and determine the dose range of efficacy of novel compounds to be tested in the clinical component of the TSRI-ARC. The Core characterizes the animal models of excessive drinking utilized by the TSRI-ARC, including exploring the effect of excessive drinking on the transition to dependence and the effect of excessive drinking on the brain stress system due to a history of binge drinking (IAE model). The Animal Models/Biochemical Measurement Core will enable Center investigators to enrich the interpretational power of their experiments through investigations of behavioral, neurochemical, neuroendocrine, and pharmacokinetic processes contributing to alcohol dependence.