Micturition
Mice form social dominance hierarchies.
Social rank can affect multiple dimensions of biology. A clear readout of social rank in mice is urination pattern. We are investigating the neural circuits that link social status to micturition behavior and how these circuits develop over ontogeny.
Image credit: Igor Stramyk
Nocturia
Urination patterns change as we age.
Circadian rhythms affect urination patterns in both mice and humans, and these patterns often break down as we age. We are investigating the molecular drivers of nocturia using aged mice in collaboration with Dr. Nellie Bruns and Dr. Emily Schmitt in the Division of Kinesiology & Health.
Image credit: Albert Allotey
Hibernation
Chipmunks adapt to Wyoming winter.
In collaboration with Dr. Merav Ben-David (Department of Zoology & Physiology) we are investigating how and why chipmunks use torpor. In a Wyoming NASA-funded project, we are characterizing changes in gene expression that occur in the brains of hibernating chipmunks.
Image credit: Cindy Goeddel