Behavioral Phenotyping

Zoe Bichler 
Ph.D.

Principal Investigator in-charge
Associate Research Scientist, Department of Research
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Neuroscience and Behavioral Disorders Program,
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School

Contact Information

National Neuroscience Institute
11 Jalan Tan Tock Seng, Singapore 308433
Tel: (65) 6357 7128
Email: zoe_bichler@nni.com.sg  

The Team

Ms. Sally Dong Qianying, B.Sc., Senior Research Assistant

Overview

The elaboration of genetically modified animals used to understand psychiatric and neurodegenerative disease has revolutionized the biomedical research. Comprehensive behavioral analyses of transgenic, knock-out and knock-in mice in particular have indeed successfully helped identify the function of several genes in the brain.

In the behavioral phenotyping platform, we aim to support translational medicine by providing a wide battery of testing capacities. Available testing regimen includes more than 30 standardized tasks for assessing general health, sensory and motor abilities, mood disorders and cognition. Stress-induced protocols are also performed routine in the facility. Tests and protocols vary according to the project hypothesis and model used. All behavioral testing procedures must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee before starting and should be performed in strict compliance with the approved policies on animal welfare of the committee at the National Neuroscience Institute.

The following tests are done routinely on mice unless specified. As we try to accommodate the demand of the investigators, any suggestion for developing a special protocol or new task is considered. Conditional (fear conditioning, passive and active avoidance) and social chambers (3-chambers social approach) are planning to come soon.

Selected publications

1. Bichler Z., Lim H.C., Zeng L., and Tan E.K. (2013): Non-motor and motor features in LRRK2 transgenic mice. PloS One 8(7):e70249.
2. Bichler Z. (2013): Behavioural analysis in mouse models. Using the behaviour of animal models to understand psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Cover story in Innovation Magazine, Singapore 12(1):48-51.