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Cheryl F. Harding
Ph.D., Rutgers University, Psychobiology
Department of Psychology
Hunter College
695 Park Avenue
Room 631N
New York, NY 10065
Tel: (212) 772-5047
Fax:(212) 650-3647
Email: harding@genectr.hunter.cuny.edu
Current Areas of Research:
Research in my lab focuses on determining how hormones and neurotransmitters alter brain function, thereby altering behavior. We study these processes in songbirds, because their vocal control system, a series of interconnected brain nuclei, is the only known hormone-sensitive neural system which is both clearly delineated and has one clear behavioral function--it controls singing behavior. Although this system is quite complex, its behavioral specialization allows us to determine more clearly how multiple hormones and neurotransmitters act at multiple sites to activate complex patterns of behavior.
Our current research focuses on three problems. Our major focus examines how neurotransmitters affect brain development and alter the bird’s ability to learn. We previously found that levels of the catecholaminergic neurotransmitters, dopamine and norepinephrine show striking increases in levels and turnover in the vocal control system between days 25 and 55 post hatch. This period of increased functioning occurs during the sensitive period for song learning and a major period of development and reorganization of the vocal control system. We are currently engaged in a series of experiments altering the function of these two neurotransmitters during this time period and examining the effects of these manipulations on song learning and brain development.
Our second interest is determining how the hormone vasotocin acts on a variety of neural and peripheral sites to coordinate reproductive behavior. Vasotocin appears to mediate the effects of environmental stimuli, acting on some sites to inhibit reproduction when water is not freely available, but then acting on other sites to stimulate reproduction when conditions improve.
A third project is examining the relationship between androgen deposition by female finches into their eggs, chick behavior, parental behavior and song learning.
We utilize a variety of biochemical techniques in our research, including radiometric assays, immunohistochemistry, and high performance liquid chromatography. We hope our work will help explain how hormones and neurotransmitters interact in the brain to regulate behavior in a wide variety of species.
Selected Publications:
Walters, M.J., Collado, D., and Harding, C.F. (1991) Oestrogenic modulation of singing in male zebra finches: Differential effects on directed and undirected songs. Animal Behaviour, 42, 445-452.
Barclay, S.R., Harding, C.F., and Waterman, S.A. (1996) Central DSP-4 treatment decreases norepinephrine levels and courtship behavior in male zebra finches. Pharmacology, Biochemistry Behavior, 53, 213-220.
Harding, C.F., Barclay, S.R., and Waterman, S.A. (1998) Changes in catecholamine levels and turnover rates in hypothalamic, vocal control, and auditory nuclei in male zebra finches during development. Journal of Neurobiology, 34, 329-346.
Harding, C.F. and Rowe, S.A. (2003) Vasotocin treatment inhibits courtship behavior in male zebra finches; Concomitant androgen treatment inhibits this effect. Under review.
Courses:
Neuroscience
Behavioral Endocrinology
Reproductive Physiology and Behavior
Behavioral Endocrinology of Primates
Sexual Differentiation
Hormonal Restructuring of the Adult Brain
Graduate Students:
Diane Bogdan
Akshat Vyas
Sharon Lukban
