Welcome to the Birdbrain Lab

In our lab, we study the neuroendocrinology and neurogenetics of behavior. In general, we are interested in how genes, hormones, and the environment interact to induce changes in brain structure and function. Our research approach emphasizes natural organisms and evolutionary principles.

In our research, we ask the following questions:

1. •How do signals from the environment produce short-term or long-term changes in the brain?
   

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3. •How do hormones and gene expression alter the brain’s responsiveness to environmental signals?
   

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5. •What can we learn about the evolution of behavior and its underlying mechanisms by comparing different species or looking at variation among individuals?

Please click on the links to the left to learn more about us.

Catecholaminergic fibers (brown) project from attention centers in the brainstem and encircle a song-responsive cell (black)  in the auditory forebrain of a female songbird.