First, I am studying the hormonal and neuroanatomical basis of mating strategies and reproduction. Monogamy is a relatively rare reproductive strategy in mammals.
Prairie voles provide a unique opportunity to study the mechanisms involved in regulating monogamy.
Prairie voles from Illinois are strictly monogamous while prairie voles from Kansas show many aspects of polygyny. Studies involve manipulations of hormones and examining the resulting effects on behavior and expression and distribution of vasopressin, oxytocin and steroid receptors within the Central Nervous System. I am also interested in the interaction between neuropeptides and steroids in the establishment and regulation of social and sexual behavior. Ongoing studies include the effects of neonatal oxytocin on the subsequent expression of social and sexual behavior in female prairie voles and rats. Oxytocin is important in the establishment of positive social behaviors, and early exposure to oxytocin may alter social interactions.