Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, and
Program in Neural Science
Ph.D. University of Washington 1996
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G. Troy Smith Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, and Program in Neural Science Ph.D. University of Washington 1996 |
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Research in my laboratory focuses on the neural and hormonal control of behavior. In particular, I am interested in how gonadal steroid hormones, such as testosterone and estradiol, influnce the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system to produce sexually dimorphic and seasonally modulated behavior. The main system studied in the laboratory is the electromotor system of weakly electric fish. The electromotor system is a neural circuit that controls the production of weak electrical dischages used by the fish both to locate objects in their environment and to communicate with each other. These electrical signals are often sexually dimorphic and regulated by hormones. The electromotor system contains only 3-4 different types of neurons, and there is a relatively straightforward relationship between the electrophysiological activity of these neurons and the electrical behavior of the fish. The simplicity of this system makes it possible to study how hormone actions on the anatomy and physiology of individual cell types are related to the sexually dimorphic behavior produced by this circuit. Current projects in the laboratory include investigating (1) how neurons in the electromotor circuit produce the rhythmic command signal for electric organ discharges; (2) how hormone effects on the physiology of these neurons result in sexually dimorphic electric communication signals; and (3) how species differences in hormone action and neurophysiology are related to species diversity in sexual dimorphism and behavior. Techniques used in the laboratory include behavioral analysis, hormonal manipulations, neuroanatomy, pharmacology, and electrophysiology.
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Smith, G.T., Y. Lu, and H.H. Zakon. 2000. Parvocells: A novel interneuron type in the pacemaker nucleus of a weakly electric fish. Journal of Comparative Neurology 423:427-439. (Abstract) Smith, G.T. and H.H. Zakon. 2000. Pharmacological characterization of ionic currents that regulate the pacemaker rhythm in a weakly electric fish. Journal of Neurobiology 42:270-286 (Abstract) Smith, G.T. 1999. Ionic currents that contribute to a sexually dimorphic communication signal in weakly electric fish. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 185:379-387. (Abstract) Smith, G.T., E.A. Brenowitz, M.D. Beecher and J.C. Wingfield. 1997. Seasonal changes in testosterone, neural attributes of song control nuclei, and song structure in wild songbirds. Journal of Neuroscience 17:6001-6010. (Abstract) |
| C O N T A C T Department of Biology Jordan Hall Indiana University Bloomington, IN 47405 USA FAX: 812.855.6705 Office: 812.856.0109 e-mail: tsmith@bio.indiana.edu |
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