Hippocampal Electrophysiology and Myelinogenesis in Healthy Cognitive Aging

Electrophysiology and Imaging: Laboratories involved in this project currently house six electrophysiological setups, as well as the tools necessary for sharp or patch recording from hippocampal slices and cell cultures. Two patch clamping! ionic imaging rigs equipped with IR-DIC, Ca2~ imaging filters, a CCD camera (5MHz-Roper) and a ECCD camera (10 MHZ-Andor with electron multiplication gain), wavelength switchers, two standard patch clamping rigs, a sharp intracellular recording rig, and a sharp extracellular recording rig are available to the project. Imaging cameras, along with integrated electrophysiological and imaging equipment (computer, amplifiers, filters), are available for the proposed studies. The extracellular setup is used to monitor field potentials before during and after LTP induction. A culture facility and several Core Facilities (below) are also available. An imaging core facility is available for use and is equipped with a Nikon microscope, filter wheels/cubes for excitation and detection of several fluorescent compounds (GFP, DsRed, DsRed2, DAPI, FITC). CCD cameras and imaging acquisition! data analysis software are also available. Dr. Thibault oversees and maintains this departmental core facility. Animal Behavior and Maintenance for Long-term Studies: A behavioral core facility housed within the animal quarters at Univ. Kentucky and directed by Drs. Thibault and Porter, is also available. This Core facility contains Morris water mazes (rats and mice) equipped with digital video tracking systems (Videomex, Columbus Instruments), an automated 8-arm radial maze equipped with photobeams for tracking animals (rats and mice), as well as numerous other operant conditioning boxes, including an active/passive avoidance setup. Additionally, individually housed animals are maintained in the animal quarters on specialized diets and are regularly evaluated for health problems by researchers and veterinary staff. A very similar behavioral core is available to Dr. Kadish in nearby quarters at Univ. Alabama, Birmingham. It is well-equipped and directed by her collaborator, Dr. van Groen.