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Randy J. Nelson Research Interests
Psychobiology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Behavioral Endocrinology,
Seasonal Behavior, Behavioral Ecology, Psychoneuroimmunology,
Behavioral Genetics
Research Summary
Animals must adapt to temporal, as well as spatial, niches.
Behaviors that are adaptive during one part of the day or during
one season of the year may have serious negative consequences
if performed at other times. For example, breeding during the
winter could compromise survival of the offspring and adults.
Our research program addresses several issues concerned with
the hormonal and neural regulation of seasonal changes in rodent
behavior and physiology: (1) what are the salient environmental
cues that animals use to discern time of year, (2) what physiological
mechanisms by which these environmental cues are transduced into
a behavioral or physiological response, (3) what are the energetic
costs and benefits of seasonality, and (4) what is the interaction
between seasonal breeding and seasonal immune and disease processes.
Current projects in the lab include: studies of sickness behaviors,
stress and coping, molecular mechanisms of stress, seasonal immune
function, seasonal breeding, photoperiodic regulation of angiogenesis,
stress, melatonin, and wound healing, and role of orexin on seasonal
immune and reproductive functions.
Publications
Martin, L.B., Weil, Z.M., & Nelson, R.J. 2006 Refining approaches and diversifying directions in ecoimmunology. Integrative and Comparative Biology (In press).
Martin, L.B., Navara, K.J., Weil, Z.M., & Nelson, R.J. 2006. Immunological memory is compromised by food restriction in male deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus. American Journal of Physiology (In press).
Martin, L.B., Weil, Z.M., & Nelson, R.J. 2006. Seasonal trade-offs between reproduction and immune activity. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences (In press).
Pyter, L.M., Samuelsson, A.R., Quan, N., &. Nelson, R.J. 2005. Photoperiod alters hypothalamic cytokine gene expression and sickness responses following immune challenge in female Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus). Neuroscience, 131:779-784.
Pyter, L.M., Neigh, G.N., & Nelson, R.J. 2005 . Social environment modulates photoperiodic immune and reproductive responses in adult male white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus). American Journal of Physiology, 288: R891-R896.
Bilbo, S.D. & Nelson, R.J. 2004. Photoperiod influences the effects of exercise and food restriction on an antigen-specific immune response in Siberian hamsters. Endocrinology, 145:556-564.
Bilbo, S.D., Drazen, D.L., Quan, N., He, L. & Nelson, R.J. 2002. Short day
lengths attenuate the symptoms of infection in Siberian hamsters. Proceedings
of the Royal Society, London B, 269: 447-454.
Bilbo, S.D., Dhabhar, F.S., Viswanathan, Saul, A., Yellon, S.M. & Nelson,
R.J. 2002. Short day lengths augment stress-induced enhancement of skin immune
function. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), 99:4067-4072.
Prendergast, B.J., Mosinger, B. Jr., Kolattukudy, P. & Nelson, R.J. 2002.
Hypothalamic gene expression in reproductively photoresponsive and photorefractory
Siberian hamsters. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA), 99:
16291-16296.
Demas, G.E., Drazen, D.L. & Nelson, R.J. 2003. Reductions in total body fat
decrease humoural immunity. Proceedings of the Royal Society, London B, 270:905-912.
Nelson, R.J. 2004. Seasonal immune function and disease responses.
Trends in Immunology, 24: 187-192.
http://www.psy.ohio-state.edu/nelson/
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