Randy J. Nelson, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience

Degree: University of California, Berkeley
Post-Doctoral Training: University of Texas, Drs. Frank Bronson and Claude Desjardins

Phone: (614) 292-7005
Fax: (614) 688-4733
Email: nelson.427@osu.edu

Link to NLM PubMed publications list for Randy J. Nelson (last 10 years)

Research Area:

Behavioral Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, Seasonal Behavior, Behavioral Ecology, Psychoneuroimmunology, Behavioral Genetics.

Current Research:

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.
 
Another area of research in the lab involves using mice with targeted deletion of specific gene protein products that are involved in motivated behaviors such as reproductive or aggressive behaviors.  We currently are working on a variety of knockout mice including mice with targeted disruption of the genes for neuronal and endothelial isoforms of nitric oxide synthase, melatonin receptor 1A and 1B, melanocortin 4 receptor, or PARP.

Techniques:

• Immunocytochemistry
• In vivo microdialysis
• HPLC
• In situ hybridization
• Radioimmunoassay
• ELISA
• Flow cytometry
• Cellular proliferation tests
• Antibody measurement
• Western blot and Northern blot analyses
• Behavioral Testing
• Brain lesions
• Gene arrays
• Small animal surgery
• RT-PCR