Attachment 1- Primate Chairs PD Averbeck 2025.pdf

Version 11-30-2016-1 FAR Part 11—Describing Agency Needs

PURCHASE DESCRIPTION

1. Statement of Need and Purpose: The purpose of this purchase is to acquire a primate chair that allows for poleless entry of monkeys from the cage to the chair, yet the chair is otherwise similar to other chairs in the lab, so that it can be used for behavioral training and neurophysiological recordings. We purchased two chairs in 2022 and again in 2023 for this purpose. As they have become increasingly a popular choice for researchers to use in their research, we need to increase the number of chairs available so that more researchers can continue to adopt this better chairing practice that is safer for humans and less stressful for monkeys into research across LN sections.

2. Background Information and Objective: The NIMH IRP conducts basic research on the neural mechanisms underlying such cognitive functions as perception, memory, decision-making, and emotion in nonhuman primates. A great number of these studies involve training and recording from nonhuman primate subjects. Such studies rely on specialized apparatus. In the Laboratory of Neuropsychology, research methods require chairs to complete the laboratory and enable research aimed at elucidating the circuitry involved in perception, memory, and decision-making. This purchase is to provide chairs for comfortable, safe, and stable positioning of the subject as well as providing an easier and safer method for monkey transport to the chair. Currently, most monkeys are transferred from their home cage to the testing chairs via a pole that attaches to their collar. Because the transport involves an uncontained monkey on a pole, it requires a significant amount of time (6+ weeks) to train both the monkey handler and monkey for transport. Using a chair without a pole decreases the amount of time it takes to train people and monkeys for transport as well increase the safety of the transport procedure, as the monkey enters the chair directly and is never uncontained. As more researchers adopt this practice, we would like to increase the number of chairs available to them for use as a LN resource.

3. Generic Name of Product: Poleless entry nonhuman primate chairs for training and electrophysiology

4. Purchase Description:

1) Large nonhuman primate chair: front panel with removeable area for either full containment of monkey or opened to allow monkey arms for touchscreen use, customized guillotine-style back door, customized top bar slot and customized top box enclosure for additional security

2) Tall wheeled transport trolley that is the correct height so that the back entry door is aligned with the cage door

5. Salient characteristics

• Adjustable primate chair suitable for 4 to 14 kg Macaca mulatta.

Version 11-30-2016-1 FAR Part 11—Describing Agency Needs

• Polycarbonate/metal construction.

• Integral head holder bars—customized to accommodate both titanium headposts as well as MRI-safe headposts

• Fully enclosed to capture waste and urine.

• Rigid for stable electrophysiological recordings.

• Customized guillotine-style back door entry—customization prevents door from completely moving out along with a stable handle

• Customized neckplate to accommodate entry from cage, also has increased adjustments so that the neckplate can remain stable and open during training process when monkey is getting used to the presence of the neckplate but not used to a fully closed neckplate

• Removeable double touch bar front so chair is f lexible across multiple projects: monkey can either be contained or able to reach out and engage with touchscreen.

• Safety restraint chains to attach cage to caging and prevent escape.

• Detachable top enclosure, customized to allow for adjustments without opening the box, surrounds the open head-entry-area to ensure monkey is contained while entering the chair.

• Tall trolley is a stable chair base that is customized to aligns the back door of chair with monkey home cage and then can transport monkey on wheels.

6. Quantity: Two

7. Delivery Date: Within eight weeks after contract award

Delivery location: Building 49, Room 1C68.

Attn: Amy Ryan 49 Convent Drive, Rm 1B80 Bethesda, MD 20892 301-443-7386 amy.ryan@nih.gov

8. Period of Performance: N/A

9. Option(s): N/A