Mouse Behavioral Phenotyping Core

The MUSC Mouse Behavioral Phenotyping Core provides both MUSC investigators and other external investigators the equipment, expertise, service and training for testing a range of common mouse behaviors. The core provides a range of behavior testing services to study neurological disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, intellectual disability, anxiety/depression, and Alzheimer’s Disease. The core performs behavioral testing, data analysis, and data interpretation to interested investigators on a fee-for-service basis. In addition, the core offers personnel training for investigator to have access to the behavior equipment if they prefer to test the mice themselves. Overall, the core provides necessary equipment and expertise to correlate behavioral outcomes of treatments/genetic modifications to cellular/molecular changes of the variants that are observed in their independent labs.

If you have used Mouse Behavioral Phenotyping Core services, please share your feedback using the following forms: 

Feedback Form - MUSC email access

Feedback Form - non-MUSC email access

Recent Publications

Akiki RM, Cornbrooks RG, Magami K, Greige A, Snyder KK, Wood DJ, Herrington MC, Mace P, Blidy K, Koike N, Berto S, Cowan CW, Taniguchi M. A long noncoding eRNA forms R-loops to shape emotional experience-induced behavioral adaptation. Science. 2024 Dec 13;386(6727):1282-1289. doi: 10.1126/science.adp1562. Epub 2024 Dec 12. PMID: 39666799; PMCID: PMC12071198.

Wood DJ, Huebschman JL, Martinez D, Tsvetkov E, Snyder K, Tjhia R, Kumar J, Hughes BW, Taniguchi M, Smith LN, Cowan CW, Penrod RD. The activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) functions in a cell type- and sex-specific manner in the adult nucleus accumbens to regulate non-contingent cocaine behaviors. Genes Brain Behav. 2024 Aug;23(4):e12910. doi: 10.1111/gbb.12910. PMID: 39164860; PMCID: PMC11335578.

Hughes BW, Huebschman JL, Tsvetkov E, Siemsen BM, Snyder KK, Akiki RM, Wood DJ, Penrod RD, Scofield MD, Berto S, Taniguchi M, Cowan CW. NPAS4 supports cocaine-conditioned cues in rodents by controlling the cell type-specific activation balance in the nucleus accumbens. Nat Commun. 2024 Aug 8;15(1):5971. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-50099-1. PMID: 39117647; PMCID: PMC11310321.

Borucki DM, Rohrer B, Tomlinson S. Complement propagates visual system pathology following traumatic brain injury. J Neuroinflammation. 2024 Apr 17;21(1):98. doi: 10.1186/s12974-024-03098-4. PMID: 38632569; PMCID: PMC11022420.

Cho JY, Rumschlag JA, Tsvetkov E, Proper DS, Lang H, Berto S, Assali A, Cowan CW. MEF2C Hypofunction in GABAergic Cells Alters Sociability and Prefrontal Cortex Inhibitory Synaptic Transmission in a Sex-Dependent Manner. Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci. 2024 Jan 16;4(2):100289. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100289. PMID: 38390348; PMCID: PMC10881314. 

Mouse Behavioral Phenotyping Equipment

The current behavior testing suites (BS415 and BS408) contain equipment and mazes from Med Associates and Stoelting to test a variety of mouse behaviors associated with neurological and motor disorders, which have been detailed below.

Guidance for Users

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Publication and Funding Questions

How do I acknowledge the MBPC in my publications?

• In the acknowledgement section of your paper please state “Behavioral testing was supported by the CNDD Mouse Behavior Phenotyping Core (P20GM148302), a University Shared Research Facility at MUSC”

How do I get a quote from the MBPC to use in my grant submission?

• The mouse core staff are happy to generate a grant submission quote for you! Simply email mbpc@musc.edu and core staff will reach out to generate a quote using your purposed timeline, animal quantity, and assays.

• Not sure on what assays to include in your proposal? Core staff can give you recommendations based on experimental goals, contact mbpc@musc.edu to start a consultation

How do I get a letter of support from the MBPC to use in my grant submission?

• You can use this template (PDF) and send to mbpc@musc.edu along with additional experimental information and deadline. Please provide at least 1 week notice for LoS generation.

Do I need to update the MBPC when I publish a paper or receive funding using data generated by the MBPC?

• Yes, update the core when your data is used in grant submissions include agency, a mechanism, MTDC, and update us if funded using this form or by emailing mbpc@musc.edu.

• Yes, update the core when your data is used in a publication include the title, journal/meeting, and authors using this form or by emailing mpbc@musc.edu.

Infinity Related Questions

How do I create an account in Infinity?

• Contact Raquel Cook or Kelly Loveland to create and infinity account.

What do I do if no lab is associated with my infinity account?

• Contact Raquel Cook or Kelly Loveland to add you to a lab or create a new lab if you are a PI requesting an account.

Who do I contact to correct FDMs in Infinity?

• Contact your departmental business administrator/accountant to add new or correct inaccurate FDMs Infinity

Who do I contact if I can’t access a room for scheduling or need to schedule outside of allowed hours?

• Contact core staff through the Mouse Core email (mbpc@musc.edu)

General Core Questions

What are the mouse core policies for users?

• Click to view a PDF version of MBPC policies for users.

What is the maximum number of mice I can run in the core at a time?

• The maximum cohort size for all core staff run assays is 16 mice. If users with independent access want to run larger cohort sizes, please refer to policy for room reservation limits to ensure you do not over book any apparatuses

When and where can I acclimate my mice?

• The core strongly recommends that users acclimate their animals at minimum for 1 hour per day for 3 days leading up to the start of the behavioral battery. Animals can be acclimated on carts inside the hallways of the core or core annex depending on where behavioral testing will take place. Users can also book time in the behavior rooms to acclimate the animals to the specific behavior room if desired.

Protocol Questions

Where can I find current copies of approved assays to run in the core?

• Physical copies of all standard protocols can be found in the black protocol binder with the core to make copies. Digital copies of protocols can also be requested through the Mouse Core email (mbpc@musc.edu)

How do I add the mouse core to my IACUC protocol?

• Please contact us through the Mouse Core email (mbpc@musc.edu) and IACUC staff for the most up to date information.

Services & Pricing

The core is currently equipped to test a variety of behaviors in mice, ranging from anxiety to sociability. These include social interaction, social novelty, social communication, general activity (including repetitive behaviors), anxiety (elevated-plus maze, open-field chamber, and dark/light box exploration), depression (force-swim test and tail-suspension test), cognitive task (novel object recognition, Y-maze, Pavlovian fear conditioning, etc), startle response (acoustic- or shock-induced), sucrose preference (anhedonia test), and others.

Please consult with Rachel D. Penrod-Martin and core staff (mbpc@musc.edu) regarding experimental design, feasibility, and expected outcomes of proposed behavior test, as well as to reserve equipment and schedule training.

Fee Structure

MUSC Investigator Pricing

External Academic Investigator Pricing

Commercial Pricing

Process

Consult Meeting

Develop experimental design with the core director

Design Write-up

Prepare written summary of assays, including literature and statistics

Training and/or Service

Core trains investigator lab members and/or provides technician to complete experiments

Final Data and Follow-up

Core aids in data visualization and analysis, summary information for manuscript preparation

Behavior Tests Available

Activity

• Detailed Locomotor Activity
• General Locomotor Activity

Social-Related

• 3-chamber Social Interaction Test
• Open Field Social Interaction Test
• Conditioned Place Preference
• Juvenile Vocalizations (USVs) - distress
• Adult Vocalizations (USVs) - social

Cognition

• Pavlovian Fear Conditioning
• Contextual Fear Conditioning
• Fear Potentiated Startle
• Y-maze
• Barnes Maze
• Novel Object Recognition (NOR)
• Morris Water Maze
• 5-choice

Anxiety

• Elevated Plus Maze (EPM)
• Elevated O-Maze (EOM)
• Marble Burying
• Dark/Light Box Exploration
• Open Field Test

Depression

• Forced-Swim Test
• Sucrose Preference

Sensorimotor Analysis

• Pre-Pulse Inhibition (PPI)
• Shock Sensitivity
• Acoustic Startle