The long-term objective of this research program is to identify the interactions among chemical messengers that control behaviors.\u00a0 Neuropeptides regulate social behaviors in representative species from all vertebrate classes.\u00a0 Species differences in behavior, however, have made development of clear mechanistic models difficult.\u00a0 The current laboratory projects address the complexity of behavioral mechanisms using a combination of laboratory and field experiments and computational models.<\/p>\n
Laboratory studies focus on the mechanisms of action of neuropeptides, neurotransmitters and neuroactive steroids.\u00a0 Results of these projects provide better understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of important behaviors.\u00a0 Field studies address important emerging questions on neuropeptide modulation of affiliative and aggressive behaviors. Synthetic experiments with agent-based computational models allow exploration of conditions impractical or impossible in empirical tests.\u00a0 The models are expected to propose new mechanisms for neurochemical control of behavior.\u00a0 These projects thus implement a tight experiment-model-experiment loop and focus on the development of a new paradigm for a systems biology approach to understanding social behavior.<\/p>\n
Read two recent book chapters that summarize parts of our research:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Boyd, S.K. (2012) Vasotocin modulation of social behaviors in amphibians. <\/a>Chapter 7 in: Oxytocin,
\nVasopressin and Related Peptides in the Regulation of Behavior, edited by E. Choleris, D. Pfaff and
\nM. Kavaliers, Cambridge University Press.<\/p>\n