Optical tools for visualizing sex hormones as drivers of dynamic internal states

This project seeks to understand the relationship between hormones, neural activity, and behavior. Researchers will develop an all-optical platform for recording hormone-related signaling in the brain that can be combined with existing optical methods for recording neural activity. The platform will allow researchers to directly observe the relationship between hormone effects and brain state. This work represents a collaborative effort between three labs with extensive experience in molecular tool development, longitudinal imaging and computation, and neuroendocrinology. The collaboration will improve the ability to track hormone signaling across the lifespan in order to shed light on the diverse roles of sex hormones in health and disease.

This project is part of the 2023 Sex Hormones cohort

Researchers in this cohort are uncovering the cellular and molecular actions of sex hormones outside of reproduction and reproduction-related development. Their work addresses a key need to deepen our understanding of how sex hormones affect many of biological processes. These new discoveries have the potential to impact human health, including diagnostics and treatment.