DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Possible Neural Mechanisms for Steroidal Control of Aggressive Behavior in Adult Individuals

成年人的大脑能够改变(可塑性)，其结构的改变可能会导致表现出的行为的改变：结构-功能假说。然而，尽管神经可塑性是神经科学中的一个重要主题，但它在动物行为研究中的结合一直是有限的。这项提议的目的是评估大脑结构中依赖睾丸素的变化是否决定了神经活动和由此产生的攻击行为。采用的方法包括对攻击性接触进行分期，改变和测量激素水平，测量大脑区域，以及使用免疫细胞化学方法标记和识别在攻击性接触中激活的大脑区域。这项研究的可行性很高，因为所有这些方法都是在研究人员的实验室建立的。展示神经结构对攻击性的影响将使科学界受益，因为这将使后续研究能够识别和操纵由激素诱导的准确的神经变化。然后，研究人员可以应用这种方法将激素诱导的行为变化与其他神经结构的变化联系起来。这项提议的影响包括应用于管理和保护计划，其中社会和环境变量可能会影响激素水平。这种方法也可以用于评估人为环境变化对激素水平、神经结构和行为的影响。结果将在主要会议上公布和展示。

The adult brain is capable of change (plasticity) and alterations in its structure may lead to changes in exhibited behavior: The Structure-Function Hypothesis. However, although neural plasticity is an important theme in neuroscience, its incorporation within animal behavior research has been limited. The goal of this proposal is to assess whether testosterone-dependent changes in brain structure determine neural activity and resultant aggressive behavior. Methods employed involve staging aggressive encounters, altering and measuring hormone levels, measuring brain regions, and using immunocytochemical methods to tag and identification brain regions that are activated during aggressive encounters. The feasibility of this research is high as all of these methods are established in the investigator's laboratory. Demonstrating effects of neural structure on aggression would benefit the scientific community by allowing subsequent research both identifying and manipulating the exact neural alterations induced by hormones. Researchers could then apply such an approach to relating hormone-induced changes in behavior with changes in other neural structures. Impacts of this proposal include applications to management and conservation programs, where social and environmental variables may affect hormone levels. This approach can also be used when assessing impacts of anthropogenic change in the environment on hormone level, neural structure, and behavior. Results will be published and presented at major conferences.