Behavior Research Core
The Behavioral Research Core Facility (BRCF) is located within the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences and houses various types of behavioral assessment tools. The facility and its equipment are available to UND partner investigators for their small rodent behavioral research. The BRCF is managed by the Department of Pathology at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences.
Make a reservationView Equipment
Types of Assessment
- Grip Strength System
- Open Field Test
- Rotor-Rod System
- Freeze Monitoring System
- Gemini Active and Passive Avoidance System
- Startle-Response System
- Conditioned Place Preference
- Barnes Maze
- Morris Water Maze
- Cincinnati Water Maze
- Radial Arm Maze
- Automated Radial Maze
- T-Maze
- Y-Maze
- Sociability Test
- Elevated Plus Maze
- Elevated Zero Maze
- Porsult Forced Swim Test
- Automated Forced Swim
- Tail Suspension Test
- Sucrose Preference Test
- Light/Dark Test
- TSE PhenoMaster
- TSE IntelliCage
- Noldus PhenoTyper
Mission
The mission of the BRCF is to enhance research productivity, research funding, and STEM training for the partners of the ND INBRE. The BRCF's specific goals are:
- To provide a well-managed and maintained equipment resource that supports current and planned behavioral research of Investigators that employ mouse models of human disease.
- To provide a technical expertise in behavioral research methods and procedures to enhance current and planned behavioral research efforts of Investigators that employ mouse models of human disease.
- To provide a facility for the training of the next generation of health professionals in the method and theory of animal behavioral research and its translation to human disease.
- To provide an interface for effective interaction and collaboration between and among research supported by the IDeA programs (INBRE, COBRE, EPSCoR, etc.) and other investigator-initiated research programs that employ, or could employ, animal behavior in their programs.
Animal Welfare
The BRCF is part of the Center for Biomedical Research, and the facility infrastructure and welfare of the experimental animals are supervised by Dr. Darin Meulebroeck, the Attending Veterinarian at Division of Research. BRCF complies with the UND IACUC and strives to meet the strict standards of AAALAC International.
User Agreement
Those using the BCRF must agree to acknowledge ND INBRE support.
"Research reported in this [publication, release] was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grand number P20GM103442."
Staff

Kumi Nagamoto-Combs
- kumi.combs@UND.edu
- 701.777.2559
- School of Medicine & Health Sciences
1301 North Columbia Road Stop 9037
Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037

- ellen.schafer@UND.edu
- 701.777.6115
- School of Medicine & Health Sciences
1301 N Columbia Rd Stop 9037 Suite W415
Grand Forks, ND 58202-9037