Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

It is well known that experiences in prenatal and neonatal life can profoundly influence how the brain develops. For about the last 15 years, the long-term objective of my research program is to understand the developmental plasticity of the adolescent period of life more specifically, the extent to which life experiences in adolescence shape the ongoing development of the brain into adulthood. This research is conducted in rats, which allows me to manipulate their social environment in adolescence to then investigate how these experiences influenced brain and behavioural development relative to control groups of rats. The main manipulation involved is social instability stress, which involves pairing rats with a different cage partner daily for 16 days in mid-adolescence. To allow us to visualize specific proteins in the brain and to make specific morphological measurements of brain structures, we rely on analysis of thin sections of brain tissue, which are obtained with the use of a cryostat. The cryostat is used for brain sections for immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, autoradiography, and Golgi staining, and to localize the placement of cannula implanted in the brains. Our current cryostat (14 years old) is no longer operational, and we require a new one. To obtain images of, and to analyze, the brain sections, we have relied on our current microscope (Nikon Eclipse 80i) and its associated software and hardware. I am are seeking to upgrade the system (also 14 years old) to allow more efficient analysis of brain sections and to add the capability for new analyses of neuronal structure. Each year, 8-10 HQP are receiving training in my lab, and the equipment requested is foundational, as this equipment permits the training of other techniques that are only possible with the equipment requested.The growth in the number of HQP in my lab has placed great demands on the microscope, and students often find that it is difficult to schedule time to use it; the main upgrade to the microscope system involves automation, better image acquisition and upgraded software for image analysis. These features will enrich our research findings and make image acquisition and analysis more efficient, allowing for greater access to the equipment by HQP. The cryostat and microscope are essential for my research program and for the timely completion of HQP projects.*ITEMS REQUESTED: a Cryostat NX50, NIKON Eclipse 80i microscope system upgrades.