Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

More than 2.2 million violent incidents were reported by Canadians (Statistics Canada, 2014), highlighting the fact that acts of aggression remain a significant societal problem in Canada. Detailing the underlying biological mechanisms that contribute to variability in aggression is critically important to a comprehensive understanding of the risk-factors for the development and expression of this potentially destructive behaviour. Our research has demonstrated that testosterone responses to competition depend on contextual factors such as victory vs. defeat and that such changes in testosterone positively map onto competitive and aggressive behaviour. We have developed novel pharmacological challenge protocols to study the causal role of testosterone in promoting competitive and aggressive behaviour. Our work indicates that a single dose of testosterone rapidly increases aggression, especially among dominant and impulsive men, increases men's self-perception of their own facial dominance, reduces the extent to which men are willing to cede financial resources during resource competition, and increases men's ratings of female facial attractiveness. Collectively, these findings are consistent with the idea that acute rises in testosterone may serve to rapidly fine-tune psychological and behavioural processes involved in promoting fitness-relevant behaviours such as aggressive, competitive, and mating behaviour. Despite advances in our understanding of the role of testosterone in promoting competitive and aggressive behaviour, several outstanding questions remain; Are the effects of testosterone on aggressive behaviour mediated by the androgen receptor? Does testosterone promote aggression in women? Does cortisol play a role in modulating the effects of testosterone on human aggression? Does testosterone play a broader role in promoting mating effort in humans? Our ongoing research addresses each of these challenges and has the potential to yield critical insight into the basic neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying variability in human aggressive, competitive, and mating behaviours. The measurement of testosterone concentrations is critically important to our program of research. Unfortunately, during the past year, two important pieces of equipment used for performing hormone immunoassays have outlived their useful lifespans and require immediate replacement. These pieces of equipment are absolutely essential our program of research as we require the ability to accurately estimate variability in salivary and serum testosterone concentrations in order to effectively addressed the research questions proposed in my NSERC Discovery Grant.  Postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students in my lab have the ability to learn how to analyze steroid hormones using both EIA and LC-QTOF approaches. These unique opportunities prepare them for careers in academia or industry (e.g., pharmaceuticals, commercial labs)