| The
Neuroscience Area is centered around a large fully
multimedia equipped teaching laboratory with four individual
workstations
for use in the neuroscience course laboratories. In
addition to the role as a teaching laboratory, the neuroscience area
can accommodate a lecture class of up to 20 students. Four independent student electrophysiological set-ups with dissecting scopes can be used simultaneously in the main neuroscience laboratory area. There are dedicated chemical storage and chemical preparation areas as well as a histology and surgery suite equipped with computers, microscopes, and surgical apparatus. Two externally vented fume hoods provide protection when working with hazardous or volatile chemicals. |
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| The
Gustatory Behavioral Lab
Dr.
Pittman's gustatory behavioral laboratory allows
students to measure the behavioral responses of rats and mice to
various
taste stimuli.
 Two Davis MS-160 behavioral rigs (shown right) allows
automated
presentations of up to 16 different taste stimuli while collecting
measurements
of animals' behavioral responses at a resolution of 1
millisecond. Data analysis programs include examination of
cumulative licks, latency
until first lick, interlick interval, and rate of licking.
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 The Davis MS-160 uses a customized computer program to control the order of stimuli, the time between each stimulus, and the length of the stimulus presentation. The acoustic isolation chamber housing the Davis Rig contains air circulation fans, a white noise generator, and a web based camera to allow observation of the animal during testing. |
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 A rat waits for the shutter to open presenting a taste stimulus. |
 The shutter in the open position allows access to one of sixteen bottle spouts. |
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| Click to view a short video of a rat responding in the Davis Rig. | ||
 The AC-108 is
an 8-channel lickometer capable of recording the licking
behavior of rats for up to 24 hours. The 8 lickometers can
be installed in single cages allowing testing of a single
solution for 8 rats at a time or the lickometers can be
installed 2 per cage to allow 2-bottle data collection for 4
rats at a time. The time of each lick made by a rat is
recorded with a 1 microsecond resolution. Custom software
allows microanalysis of the licking behavior. The
microanalysis can be used to identify licking behaviors
associated with taste-mediated cues such as lick rate and number
of licks within a burst or licking behaviors typically
associated with post-ingestive cues such as licks per meal and
meal durations.
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| The
Electrophysiological Recording Lab
In the spring of 2005, a
state-of-the-art electrophysiological recording rig was added to
the neuroscience laboratory. The rig is equipped with a
floating tabletop, homeothermic temperature regulation, cautery,
air turbine drill, aspirator, surgical tools, dissecting scope
with camera, microdrive manipulator, differential amplifier,
micro1401 & spike digital acquisition system, a DELL CPU, 19"
LCD screen with PIP for CPU & scope camera dual display, and a
custom stimulus delivery system.
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Photos from the dedication of the facilities:
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