Research

Prairie voles are a monogamous species native to the American Midwest.  They are becoming a premier biomedical model for conditions that involve social dysfunction (such as autism and other developmental disorders).

Titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus) are a pair-bonding South American monkey.  Pair bonding is a psychological construct that  includes showing a preference for a familiar partner, distress upon separation, and the ability of the partner to buffer their pair-mate against stressors.  In the wild and in the lab, titi monkey pair-mates spend most of their time within sight of each other and a lot of it in physical contact with their tails twined.

We study the neurobiological and epigenetic factors relevant to social behaviors in this marine species.