Principal Investigator:

Patrick M. Kochanek, MD

Co-Investigator:

C. Edward Dixon, PhD

This core facility performs the necessary procedures related to animal modeling and outcome assessment for the University of Pittsburgh Brain Trauma Research Center program project grant (PPG). The facilities in this core will be used by the following principal investigators (PIs) involved in the individual proposals in this PPG application:

1. Robert Clark, MD, Project #1, Poly (ADP Ribose) Polymerase (PARP) and TBI
2. Steven DeKosky, MD, Project #2, TBI, Amyloid Metabolism and Statin Therapy
3. C. Edward Dixon, PhD, Project #3, Calcineurin Inhibition as a Therapeutic Target for TBI
4. Steven Graham, MD, PhD, Project #4, Fas-mediated cell death in TBI, and
5. Patrick Kochanek, MD, Project 5, Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) and TBI.

The core facilities address the following:

1. Provide a centralized facility for surgery and anesthesia for all of the proposed experimental manipulations of mice and rats within the PPG.
2. Provide uniform injury for all studies in mice and rats in the PPG (controlled cortical impact [CCI] model, and CCI model with a secondary hypoxemic insult), and ensure consistency by performing quality control analysis.
3. Provide a centralized facility for the standardized assessment of functional outcome parameters (motor and cognitive) for mice and rats studied within the PPG
4. Provide a centralized facility for standardized tissue sampling and the standardized assessment of histological outcome parameters (contusion volume and hippocampal neuron counting), including stereological methods, for mice and rats studied within the PPG.
5. Facilitate interaction between the PIs within the PPG, and facilitate interaction with collaborating investigators at the Pittsburgh NMR Center for Biomedical Research (Carnegie Mellon University).

The successful execution of these specific aims will provide for optimal resource utilization by the investigators including the use of

1. technician time,
2. laboratory space,
3. equipment,
4. supplies,
5. animals, and
6. MRI time.

At the same time, quality control will be ensured for all of the studies in mice and rats, and a structured environment for interaction between the PIs within the PPG will be provided.