My main interest is the effect of steroid hormones in the central nervous system. Using the rat olfactory bulb as a model circuit, I study
modulation and plasticity in sensory system and neural networks.

Current Project: While it is generally accepted that hormones indirectly modulate olfactory sensitivity, the mechanisms through which this is accomplished are not well understood. The effects of estrogen on olfaction have been shown indirectly via studies characterizing the various stages of the estrous cycle, but the level at which these changes take place has not been established. Since the main olfactory bulb contains a population of estrogen receptors, is it possible that estrogen acts in the bulb by modulating mitral cell response? If so, to what extent does modulation occur at the mitral cell layer versus the cotical layer? Does this possible mitral cell plasticity affect long term learning and memory in the animal? I am using neurophysiological, molecular, and behavioral methods and assays in an effort to answer these questions.