NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2019: The effect of fatherhood on behavioral and neural responsiveness to offspring sensory cues

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This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2019, Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology. The fellowship supports a research and training plan for the Fellow that will increase the participation of groups underrepresented in biology. This research will be valuable for better understanding the role of males in caring for offspring in species in which both males and females care for young. Few studies have been conducted on paternal care, relative to maternal care, and many of the studies on paternal care were conducted in species in which only females care for young, making it difficult to gauge their ecological relevance. Before, during, and after giving birth, females undergo neural and hormonal changes that increase maternal care, in part by increasing attraction to sensory stimuli from newborns. The fellow will examine whether similar patterns occur in new fathers by assessing their responsiveness to newborn sensory cues and exploring the relative importance of acoustic and olfactory cues for eliciting paternal care. This work could provide insights into the normal expression of parental care as well as, conversely, maladaptive parent-offspring interactions. Findings can also help improve conservation efforts for critical populations. Because human activities can interfere with acoustic and olfactory communication in many endangered species, they may also interfere with parental behaviors. This research will provide valuable training for the fellow, and support efforts to increase the participation and career persistence of underrepresented minorities in science. The fellow will test the hypothesis that the onset of paternal care in the monogamous, biparental California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) will be associated with increased attraction and altered neural responses to olfactory and auditory stimuli from pups. To test this hypothesis, the behaviors and neural responses of un-mated males, expectant fathers and new fathers will be compared. First, males behavior in response to pup odors and/or vocalizations will be quantified. Neural activity will be measured in brain regions associated with olfaction, audition, parental behavior, reward and/or fear by measuring the expression of an immediate-early gene product, Fos. Lastly, the hormonal control of behavioral and neural responses to pup stimuli in males will be examined. Through this research, the fellow will learn techniques in behavioral neuroendocrinology and will actively recruit undergraduate assistants through programs aimed at providing research training to underrepresented minorities, resulting in mentorship of at least nine undergraduates. This research will also be used to generate open-access, app-based lessons to improve science literacy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.