VAREC Research Core

Research Core Abstract The VAREC Research Core will support the research activities of the VAREC research projects to allow a greater reach for each component, increase the rigor and reproducibility of the research and facilitate cross- talk between the research projects. These goals will be accomplished through three aims. The primary goal of Aim 1 will be to generate and coordinate access to mice that have undergone one of two voluntary alcohol exposure models in mice. In the first, Chronic Drinking-Forced Abstinence (CDFA), isolate female mice are allowed ad libitum home cage access to two-bottle choice alcohol for 6 weeks, after which the ethanol bottle is removed and replaced with water-only to produce a forced abstinence phase. In the second model, Structured Tracking of Alcohol Reinforcement (STAR), mice are trained to operantly seek and consume ethanol, and “compulsive” intake is assessed via quinine sensitivity tests. A pre-test, manipulation such as binge alcohol access, and then a post-test allow for dense sampling of individual mouse behavior in a paradigm well suited for precision neuroscience approaches. The primary goal of Aim 2 will be to provide key shared research infrastructure to VAREC researchers, including blood-ethanol measurement, 3-D printing, and histochemical resources amongst others. Finally in Aim 3, robust computational infrastructure and expertise will be provided to VAREC researchers to allow computational analysis of neuronal activity in association with AUD-related behaviors, and quantification of brain imaging data.