Welcome to the UCLA Rodent Behavioral Testing Core website.

The Behavioral Testing Core (BTC) is UCLA’s dedicated resource for rodent behavioral research, housed within the Psychology Department and serving a broad multidisciplinary research community. We offer comprehensive behavioral phenotyping across anxiety, cognition, motor, and reward domains, with equipment including operant conditioning chambers, touchscreen systems, and smart home cages with 24-hour activity tracking and running wheels.

Our team supports everything from neurodegenerative disease models to highly specialized projects exploring the intersection of peripheral biology and behavior. We also leverage machine learning tools — including SLEAP and DeepLabCut — to deliver richer, more precise behavioral data than traditional methods alone can provide. If you’re looking for an experienced, versatile partner for your next behavioral study, we’d love to work with you.

Please feel free to email comments or questions to UCLABTC@gmail.com. See the Contacts page for more information.

Co-Director: Michael Fanselow, PhD

Co-Director and Manager: Lindsay Lueptow, PhD

Assistant Manager: Irina Zhuravka

Overview of Services:

Experimental Design
Proposal/grant submission support
Training on animal handling, behavioral testing, software, data analysis and interpretation
Staff-performed behavioral testing
Inquire about potential surgical options

The UCLA Behavioral Testing Core Facility is always looking to expand services! If there are any tests or services not listed on our website, please reach out to discuss potential ways for us to support your research.

See the Behavioral Tasks and Rates pages for more details.