Alfredo Durazzo
I received my degree in Microbiology from Indiana University Bloomington in 2004. During my undergraduate career I became involved in behavioral endocrinology research under the guidance of Dr. Greg Demas. The model I studied was the Siberian or Dwarf hamster. My interests focused on the effects of immune axis activation on changes in feeding behavior and on the role of photoperiod in mediating aggression through interactions with the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis.
I am currently doing my graduate work on the same animal model. Specifically, I am interested in investigating the photoperiod-mediated plasticity in the medial amygdala of this species. The medial amygdala (MeA) is a highly complex sexually dimorphic nucleus that is heavily involved in the regulation of mating behavior and is significantly larger in males than in females. This region maintains a high degree of plasticity throughout adulthood. If a male hamster is castrated, the resulting drop in testosterone levels causes the MeA to shrink to the same size that we observe in females. However, exogenous testosterone replacement can restore its original size. When hamsters are exposed to short daylengths (less than 12 hrs of light/day) for several weeks, their reproductive system shuts down and the MeA shrinks in size and becomes insensitive to androgen treatment. I am interested in finding out which neural substrates and/or receptors are mediating this change in responsiveness.
I chose the Breedlove/Jordan lab for my graduate work because of the many research opportunities offered by the depth and breadth of topics being pursued and because of the many resources that are available to students. I was also drawn to the lab's "family-like" work atmosphere that gives me the chance to work closely with both faculty members and to approach research questions from different perspectives. During my spare time I enjoy swimming, running, cooking, and reading Italian novels.