Research
Interests
My research interests have focused on how steroid hormones influence brain structures and behavior during early development, puberty and aging. Neonatal exposure of steroid hormones not only influences sex-specific brain development but also affects adult brain function and behavior (e.g., learning and memory). However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of steroid hormone action in the brain still remain mostly unknown. Currently, my work focuses on interactions between genes and hormones in development of the zebra finch song system. We have identified several genes with increase expression in the forebrain of developing males compared to females. Using in situ hybridization, I found that these sexually dimorphic genes are highly and specifically expressed in song control nuclei of juvenile males. I am now investigating the functions of these genes and determining whether they are regulated by steroid hormones during development.
Selected
Publications
Tang YP, Camilla Peabody, Michelle L. Tomaszycki, Wade J. (2006). Sexually dimorphic SCAMP1 expression in the forebrain motor pathway for song production of juvenile zebra finches. Journal of Neurobiology. Accepted.
Tang YP, Wade J. (2006). Sexually dimorphic expression of the genes encoding ribosomal proteins L17 and L37 in the song control nuclei of juvenile zebra finches. Brain Research. Impress
Tang YP, Haslam SZ, Conrad SE, Sisk CL. (2004). Estrogen increases brain expression of the mRNA encoding transthyretin, an amyloid beta scavenger protein. J. Alzheimers Dis. 6(4):413-20.
|
Yu
Ping Tang