Location: **SSB 7172**

Dr. Paula Duarte-Guterman, University of British Columbia

Sex Steroids and the Brain

The endocrine system is a major regulator of brain function. Hormones can modulate neuronal activity, pathways, and circuits, ultimately resulting in changes in behaviour. A major class of hormones with such roles are the sex steroids, like estrogens and androgens. Sex steroids have classically been considered sex-specific but are now recognised to play fundamental roles in the biology of both sexes. In a first example, I will discuss the role of estrogens in the brain of male mice in regulating experience-dependent levels of paternal care. In a second example, I will discuss how the continuing production of new neurons (neurogenesis) in the adult rat hippocampus is regulated by estradiol. Finally, I will discuss current work with transgenic mice investigating the role of androgens in adult neurogenesis.

About the speaker:

I completed my PhD at the University of Ottawa with Dr. Vance Trudeau investigating the interactions of thyroid and sex steroid hormones during frog development. I then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Ulm, Germany with Prof. Guenter Ehret probing the neuroendocrine mechanisms of paternal care in mice. I worked with Dr. Vicki Marlatt at Simon Fraser University examining the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals on development and physiology of sockeye salmon. I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia in the laboratory of Dr. Liisa Galea where I am investigating the regulation of adult neurogenesis by hormones and experiences.

For more info: https://neuroendo.weebly.com/