Grant: Operating Grant

Steroid hormones have profound effects on human behaviour and health. Steroids are critical for the brain to develop and function normally, and they also play important roles in psychiatric and neurological diseases. Steroids have traditionally been thought to have long-term effects on the brain by modifying gene expression. More recent studies indicate that steroids also have many rapid effects on neurons that are not mediated via gene expression. This project is aimed at understanding these two very different mechanisms of steroid action and how they work together. In particular, the research will examine the rapid effects of steroids on a social behaviour, the neural mechanisms underlying these behavioural effects, and how these effects vary in different contexts. This work will improve our understanding of these important hormones and help in the design of novel hormone treatments for psychiatric and neurological diseases.