Sex Differences in Neurobiology, Behavior and Disease

Though the existence of two sexes is a fundamental characteristic of nearly all animal species, the way biological sex brings about sex differences in the brain and behavior is poorly understood. Moreover, susceptibility to a host of human neurological and mental health disorders is strongly influenced by gender, but in most cases the biological bases for these differences remain opaque. Our research uses a simple, experimentally tractable model system – the small soil nematode C. elegans – to shed light on the genetic underpinnings of sex differences in neural development, behavior, and disease susceptibility.

Our research is made possible by current and past grant support from the National Institutes of Health (NINDS, NIGMS, and NIDDK), the National Science Foundation, Autism Speaks and the PKD Foundation.