Behavioral research platform

  • Manager: Serge Alfos
  • Technical staff: Grégory Artaxet, Claudine Tridon, Esther Turbat, Grégoire Routier
  • Scientific managers: Pauline Lafenêtre, Muriel Darnaudéry, Jean-Christophe Delpech

Like all establishments that use animals for scientific purposes, CIRCE has a structure in charge of animal welfare (SBEA) and complies with the ethical rules in force. All experimental protocols are assessed beforehand by the ethics committee and the Ministry.

Goal

The NutriNeuro laboratory has an experimental platform, the Center for Behavioral Engineering (CIRCE), which enables us to study emotional behaviors, cognitive processes and motivation in preclinical models (rats, mice). These tools enable us to explore the impact of nutrients on behavior and better understand the links between nutrition and brain function.

Presentation

The laboratory offers theoretical expertise and a full range of equipment for studying rodent behavior. It is also equipped to measure neuronal and cerebral activity using in vivo electrophysiology and fiber photometry.

Our expertise

The NutriNeuro laboratory has an experimental platform, the Center for Behavioral Engineering (CIRCE), which enables us to study emotional behaviors, cognitive processes and motivation in preclinical models (rats, mice). These tools enable us to explore the impact of nutrients on behavior and better understand the links between nutrition and brain function.

Presentation The laboratory offers theoretical expertise and a full range of equipment for studying rodent behavior. It is also equipped to measure neuronal and cerebral activity using in vivo electrophysiology and fiber photometry.

Our expertise

  • Study of learning and memory processes
  • Study of emotional processes
  • Study of motivational processes
  • Study of maternal behavior
  • Study of social behavior
  • Study of mother-toddler communication
  • Monitoring of food and water intake
  • Monitoring of fat/lean mass distribution

Equipment

  • Study of learning, memory and emotional processes:
    Using a battery of validated behavioral tests
  • Study of motivational processes
    16 operant cages
  • Study of maternal behavior
    30 cameras
  • Study of social behavior
    Three-chamber test
  • Study of mother-pup communication
    USV microphone coupled with Recorder USGH software (Avisoft, Glienicke, Germany) and SAS LabPro software (Avisoft Bioacoustics).
  • Feed and liquid intake monitoring
    HM-2 Feed and Liquid Intake
    Specific collective cages for up to 6 mice, implanted with RFID chips, automated individual monitoring of food and drink intake over several days, group activity monitoring.
  • Monitoring of fat/lean weight distribution
    TD-NMR (EchoMRI): Non-invasive analysis of body composition (fat mass, lean mass, biological fluids) in unanesthetized rodents using qRMN (Minispec LF90II (Bruker).