Model organism databases in behavioral neuroscience

Abstract

Model Organism Databases (MODs) are an important informatics tool for researchers. They provide comprehensive organism specific genetic, genomic, and phenotype datasets. MODs ensure accurate data identification and integrity and provide official nomenclature for genes, Quantitative Trait Loci, and strains. Most importantly, the MODs provide professionally curated data drawn from the literature for function, phenotype and disease associations, and pathway involvement. These data, along with nomenclature and data identity, are incorporated into larger scale genomic databases and research publications. MODs also offer a number of software tools that allow researchers to access, display, and analyze data from reports to genome browsers.