The University of California, Davis, offers extensive resources for research and teaching in neuroscience. Below are some of the resources and facilities available to UC Davis neuroscientists.  

Facilities

The Center for Neuroscience is the home of the Neuroscience Graduate Group and the hub of neuroscience research on campus. Research at the Center is diverse, covering the major sub-disciplines and techniques in neuroscience and ranges from cellular and molecular neurobiology through systems and developmental neuroscience to studies of human perception, attention, memory, language, and the nature of consciousness. The Center places special emphasis on sensory physiology, the molecular-genetic basis of neuronal function and its development, the search for genetic markers in psychiatric diseases, the study of human cognition and the development of improved methods to treat brain injury and disease.

The Center for Mind and Brain is a research and training unit dedicated to understanding the nature of the human mind from interdisciplinary perspectives. Scientists currently in the CMB (16 core members)  include those interested in a wide range of fundamental questions about how minds are organized. They address these questions using interdisciplinary approaches from social science (anthropology, economics, linguistics, philosophy and psychology), biological science (behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, physiology), engineering science (biomedical and electrical engineering, computer science), and medical science (neurology, psychiatry and medical imaging).

 The UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) is an international, multidisciplinary research organization, committed to excellence, collaboration and hope, striving to understand the causes and develop better treatments and ultimately cures for neurodevelopmental disorders. Standing shoulder to shoulder, families, scientists, physicians, educators, and administrators are working together to unlock the mysteries of the mind.

 The UC Davis Imaging Research Center (IRC), directed by Dr. Cameron Carter, supports human imaging science research and promotes the use of modern imaging methods in basic science and clinical investigations of the brain and body. The IRC is located in a 13,000 sq.ft building on the UCD Medical Center campus in Sacramento, and currently houses two research-dedicated whole-body MRI scanners — a 1.5T GE Signa MRI System and the new 3T Siemens Trio MRI System. A wide range of human and animal imaging studies are carried out in the IRC. The IRC supports basic science and clinical research that investigates the structure and function of the nervous system, including perceptual, motor and cognitive function using real-time functional imaging techniques, and research that investigates systemic physiology and morphology in health and disease.

Computational biology is one of the main thrusts of the Institute of Theoretical Dynamics, an organized research unit devoted to theoretical problems in the physical and biological sciences. Approximately 30 faculty members participate in the activities of the institute, which include conferences, workshops, seminars, and summer schools.

One of the largest regional primate facilities in the country, the California Regional Primate Research Center conducts interdisciplinary programs in biomedical research on significant human-related problems where nonhuman primates are the models of choice. The center is located west of the main campus on a 300-acre site and is home to 3,500 nonhuman primates representing six species.

The Center for Imaging Processing and Integrated Computing is an interdisciplinary research center with strengths in imaging, computer science, and engineering. Of special interest to the center is three-dimensional modeling, imaging, and visual communication. Other areas of research are the access and use of large pictorial data bases and network-based data sharing.

Resources

The Center for Neuroscience Health and Safety Program Resources page includes information essentail for starting to work in any laboratory at the Center for Neuroscience.  In addition, it inlcudes all of the contact information for required training safety courses, safety information, and forms for protocols.

The Keck Imaging Center at the Center for Neuroscience houses a state-of-the-art Zeiss 510 confocal, spectral imaging, and multi-photon imaging system.  This facility also provides access to two image analysis work stations including Volocity 3-D analysis and deconvolution software and Huygens Professions Deconvolution software. The facility is currently run by Dr. Hwai-Jong Cheng and two technicians.

UC Davis is the home to an NIH-funded monocolonal antibody facility called NeuroMab. This facility, directed by Dr. Jim Trimmer, and provides low cost, high quality mouse monoclonal antibodies to the entire neuroscience community. Requests for new antibodies should be submitted directly to NeuroMab. These antibodies are fully validated for biochemical and immunohistochemical applications in mammalian brain. NeuroMab is a  cooperative venture among the University of California at Davis, the National Institutes of Health, and Antibodies Inc.

The UC Davis Genome Center DNA Technologies Core provides Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) analysis, with the capability to run low to very high throughput assays with no constraints on the minimum or maximum number of samples. Illumina BeadArray and Bead Express systems are available to analyze 12 to 1536 SNPs/sample. An Illumina Genome Analyzer is available for a variety of applications including SNP discovery.

The UC DavisGenome Center Expression Analysis Core extends the services provided by the Genome Center/School of Medicine Affymetrix microarray facility. In addition, the Illumina BeadArray platform enables expression studies in human or mouse and the Genome Analyzer is available for transcript analysis. Additional services include custom arrays, ChIP-Chip approaches, and comparative genomic hybridization. The Core Facility will also serve as an intermediary between researchers and companies producing custom arrays.

The UC Davis Genome Center Proteomics Core provides state-of-the-art analytical proteomic services and specializes in characterization of macromolecular complexes, post-translation modifications, and quantitative proteomics. We have a highly trained staff and a variety of tandem mass spectrometers capable of providing sensitive, accurate and fast proteomic analysis of complex biological samples, including a Thermo-Electron hybrid linear ion-trap Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (LTQ-FT). We also perform AA analysis and Edman protein sequencing.

The UC Davis Genome Center  Metabolomics Core provides high-quality, cost-effective, services for metabolomics research and target analysis using experienced staff and state-of-the-art instrumentation. The Core Facility offers GC-MS and LC-MS lines for analysis using high quality standards, reagents, and solvents. We also have an ABI 4000 QTRAP triple quad mass spectrometer for highly sensitive target quantitation. We provide help with the experimental setup and design in addition to assistance with data interpretation in collaboration with the bioinformatics core.

The UC Davis Genome Center Bioinformatics Core assists in acquisition, curation, analysis, and distribution of large complex datasets. It provides access to large computing clusters and storage arrays. It bridges between cutting edge bioinformatics approaches and the practical needs of researchers studying a diverse range of biological problems. The core provides bioinformatics support for the wetlab service cores as well as researchers with independent bioinformatics needs.

The Protein Structure Laboratory provides protein sequencing, amino acid analysis, and peptide and DNA synthesis for investigators from throughout the campus as well as for other institutions and some companies. The laboratory also provides consultation and expertise on the application of these techniques and has many protocols and reagents available to assist investigators.

The Facility for Advanced Instrumentation, Health Sciences Biochemistry and Special Instrumentation Laboratory, and Central Facility Instrumentation-UCDMC provide researchers with economical and convenient access to a variety of scientific instruments. Instruction in the operation of the equipment is available at all three facilities for students, faculty, and staff.

The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Facility offers researchers access to state-of-the-art NMR instrumentation for spectroscopy and imagining. The facility operates five spectrometers of varying purposes and capabilities, and has computers for off-line data processing and molecular modeling.

The Northern California Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Center (NCPIC) in Sacramento is a clinical facility for brain, cardiac, and whole-body imaging using short-lived positron emitter-labeled radiopharmaceuticals and the tomogr aphic imaging system. A collaborative research program between the Center for Neuroscience and NCPIC has placed duplicate computer systems in the two centers to ensure consistency among patient studies of brain electrical activity at the Center for Neuroscience and PET studies at NCPIC.