# ShEEP Request for Noldus EthoVision XT System

> **NIH VA IS1** · RALPH H JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2022 · —

## Abstract

The primary goal of this proposal is to establish a Functional Behavior Assessment/Phenotyping Core for
clinically relevant rat models of disease that are highly critical for the advancement of translational biomedical
research. The need for this critical core is based on several factors. First, in the last two years, the research
portfolio that involves behavioral analyses and the number of investigators who use rat models have substantially
increased at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center (RHJ VAMC). Second, with the recent advances in
technology, the genetically modified rat models are becoming available, and this is highly attractive for our
investigators who use complex instrumentation. The availability of a “rat” core will enable us to be at the forefront
of this line of research. Third, the need for a “systems physiology approach” in behavioral research is increasingly
recognized as complex brain-peripheral organ axes are being unraveled in many diseases including traumatic
brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), stroke, dementia, and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD),
depression and anxiety disorders, drug and alcohol addiction, chronic pain, cardiac disease including heart
failure, hypertension and aortic aneurysms, and musculoskeletal pathologies (fracture healing, osteoarthritis,
multiple sclerosis), all of which disproportionately affect our Veterans. Accordingly, we propose to establish a
core with an integrated system of behavior (designed for rats) and telemetry hardware that is driven by a central
software control platform. The Noldus EthoVision XT System represents a state-of-the-art integrated system
allowing for automated, quantitative, comprehensive behavioral and physiological assessment for each animal
as a function of time, injury model, disease progression, or intervention. Using this integrative technology, four
primary aims will pursued: 1) Provide a research platform that facilitates basic discovery with high translational
potential; 2) Develop a research environment that fosters cross cultivation of disciplines to identify novel links
between organ systems and diseases; 3) Test the efficacy of therapeutic strategies and interventional
methodologies on functional outcomes and identify “personalizable” targets. and 4) Integrate behavioral,
physiological and biochemical outcomes to provide comprehensive analysis of disease models. The Functional
Behavior Assessment/Phenotyping Core is a necessity for the diverse research efforts of our local VAMC
investigators who investigate TBI/SCI, stroke recovery, dementia, PTSD, chronic pain, cardio and
cerebrovascular disease, immunology, and stem cell development and therapies. This Core will greatly
strengthen the research capabilities of our station, serve as an excellent recruitment tool to attract new
investigators to VA research, and facilitate basic scientific discovery leading to the rapid implementation of
cutting-edge personalized medical treatment for our Ve...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10534037
- **Project number:** 1IS1BX005536-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** RALPH H JOHNSON VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** ADVIYE ERGUL
- **Activity code:** IS1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-04-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10534037

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10534037, ShEEP Request for Noldus EthoVision XT System (1IS1BX005536-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-30 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10534037. Licensed CC0.

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