Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Laboratory

Ramaley N379

Department of Integrative Physiology
University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO 80309-0354
phone: 303-492-8154
fax: 303-492-0811

Research Interests

Our main focus is the neural mechanisms underlying stress-related physiology and emotional behavior with a focus on the role of serotonergic systems. Current projects address four main topics:

  1. Mechanisms underlying control of acute and chronic anxiety states - with a focus on interactions among corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), CRF-related neuropeptides, and serotonergic systems.

  2. Effects of peripheral immune activation on serotonergic systems, physiology, and emotional behavior.

  3. Effects of thermal signals on serotonergic systems, physiology, and emotional behavior.

  4. Effects of glucocorticoid hormones on serotonergic systems, physiology, and behavior.

Personnel

  • Director: Christopher A. Lowry, Ph.D.

  • Post-doctoral Fellows: James Fox, M.A., Ph.D., Jodi Lukkes, Ph.D.

  • Graduate Students: Mathew Arnold, B.A., Nina Donner, M.S., Patrick Hennessey, B.A., Evan Paul, B.A., Honors, Philip Siebler, B.A., David Smith, B.A., Christopher Stamper, B. A., Andrew Wacker, B.A.

  • Professional Research Assistants:Kathleen Dady, B.A., Peter Hibl, B.A., Kyle Kelly, B.A., M.S., Jared Kopelman, B.A.

  • Undergraduate Students: Nicholas Alsofrom, Lamya`a Dawud, Brandon Fields, Jared Heinze, Erika Kolisch, Kenneth Lowe, Sofia Mani, Allison Matti, Anthony Quach, Taylor Whittier.

  • High School Student: Hannah Stobaugh.

  • Collaborators: Tracy Bale, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania; David Bentley, Ph.D., University of New South Wales, Australia; Serge Campeau, Ph.D., University of Colorado Boulder; Alon Chen, Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel; Monika Fleshner, Ph.D., University of Colorado Boulder; Gina Forster, Ph.D., University of South Dakota; Anders Hay-Schmidt, Ph.D., The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Rogelio Hernandez-Pando, Ph.D., Instituto Nacional de Nutricion Salvador Zubiran, Mexico; Stafford Lightman, MBBChir, MB, BChir, PhD(Cantab), FRCP, FMedSci, University of Bristol, UK; Steve Maier, Ph.D., University of Colorado Boulder; Jens Mikkelsen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Denmark; Miles Orchinik, Ph.D., Arizona State University; Paul Plotsky, Ph.D., Emory University; David Nutt, DM, FRCP, FRCPsych, FMedSci, University of Bristol, UK; Don Rainnie, Ph.D., Emory University; Kenneth Renner, Ph.D., University of South Dakota; Graham A.W. Rook, Ph.D., University College London, UK; Anantha Shekhar, M.D., Ph.D., Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis; Cliff Summers, Ph.D., University of South Dakota.

Back row (left to right): Christopher Stamper, Andrew Burke, Jakob Lupa, Peter Hibl, Evan Paul, Jared Kopelman, James Fox, Andrew Wacker, Jared Heinze, Christopher Lowry, Kenneth Lowe, Taylor Whittier, Nicholas Alsofrom
Front row: Patrick Hennessey, Kyle Kelly, Jodi Lukkes, Erika Kolisch, Nina Donner, Lamya’a Dawud, Karen Kellen, Allison Matti, Philip Siebler, Kathleen Dady, Brandon Fields, Anthony Quach, Sofia Mani
Not pictured: Mathew Arnold, David Smith, Hannah Stobaugh

Opportunities for Undergraduates

  • We are looking for enthusiastic, motivated undergraduate students who are interested in obtaining research experience.

    • Course requirements: none.
    • Minimum experience: no prior laboratory research experience required.

  • For more information, contact Prof. Christopher Lowry (christopher.lowry@colorado.edu)

Videos

Recent Publications

  • Donner NC, Montoya CD, Lukkes JL, Lowry CA. Chronic non-invasive corticosterone administration abolishes the diurnal pattern of tph2 expression. Psychoneuroendocrinology 37: 645-661, 2012.

  • Feng N, Lowry CA, Lukkes JL, Orchinik M, Forster GL, Renner KJ. Organic cation transporter inhibition increases medial hypothalamic serotonin under basal conditions and during mild restraint. Brain Research 1326: 105-113, 2010.

  • Hale MW, Dady KF, Evans AK, Lowry CA. Evidence for in vivo thermosensitivity of serotonergic neurons in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus and raphe pallidus nucleus implicated in thermoregulatory cooling. Experimental Neurology 227: 264-278, 2011.

  • Hale MW, Johnson PL, Westerman AM, Abrams JK, Shekhar A, Lowry CA. Multiple anxiogenic drugs recruit a parvalbumin-containing subpopulation of GABAergic interneurons in the basolateral amygdala. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry 34: 1285-1293, 2010.

  • Hale MW, Lowry CA. Functional topography of midbrain and pontine serotonergic systems: implications for synaptic regulation of serotonergic circuits. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 213: 243-264, 2011.

  • Hale MW, Shekhar A, Lowry CA. Development by environment interactions controlling tryptophan hydroxylase expression. Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy 41: 219-226, 2011.

  • Hale MW, Stamper CE, Staub DR, Lowry CA. Urocortin 2 increases c-Fos expression in serotonergic neurons projecting to the ventricular/periventricular system. Experimental Neurology 224: 271-281, 2010.

  • Johnson PL, Fitz SD, Hollis JH, Moratalla R, Lightman SL, Shekhar A, Lowry CA. Induction of c-Fos in 'panic/defence'-related brain circuits following brief hypercarbic gas exposure. Journal of Psychopharmacology 25: 26-36, 2011.

  • Kelly KJ, Donner NC, Hale MW, Lowry CA. Swim stress activates serotonergic and non-serotonergic neurons in specific subdivisions of the rat dorsal raphe nucleus in a temperature-dependent manner. Neuroscience 197: 251-268, 2011.

  • Lowry CA, Hale MW. Serotonin and the neurobiology of anxious states. In: The Behavioral Neurobiology of Serotonin, Muller CP, Jacobs BL (eds.), 2010. ISBN: 978-0-12-374634-4.

  • Lowry CA, Hale MW, Wright KP. Stress and arousal/sleep. In: Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience, Koob G, Le Moal M, Thompson RF, Editors. New York: Elsevier, vol. 3, pp. 295-303, 2010.

  • Lukkes JL, Engelman GH, Zelin NS, Hale MW, Lowry CA. Post-weaning social isolation of female rats, anxiety-related behavior, and serotonergic systems. Brain Research 1443: 1-17, 2012.

  • Lukkes JL, Staub DR, Dietrich A, Truitt W, Neufeld-Cohen A, Chen A, Johnson PL, Shekhar A, Lowry CA. Topographical distribution of corticotropin-releasing factor type 2 receptor-like immunoreactivity in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus: co-localization with tryptophan hydroxylase. Neuroscience 183: 47-63, 2011.

  • Neufeld-Cohen A, Chen A, Hale MW, Lowry CA. Anxiolytic phenotype and modified serontonergic activity in Urocortiin 1 and 2 double-deficient mice. Molecular Psychiatry 15: 339, 2010.

  • Neufeld-Cohen A, Evans AK, Getselter D, Spyroglou A, Hill A, Gil S, Tsoory M, Beuschlein F, Lowry CA, Vale W, Chen A. Urocortin-1 and -2 double-deficient mice show robust anxiolytic phenotype and modified serotonergic activity in anxiety circuits. Molecular Psychiatry 15: 426-441, 2010. [Commentary - Kozicz T. The missing link; the significance of urocortin-1/urocortin-2 in the modulation of dorsal raphe serotonergic system. Molecular Psychiatry 15: 340-341, 2010.]

  • Neufeld-Cohen A, Tsoory MM, Evans AK, Getselter D, Gil S, Lowry CA, Vale WW, Chen A. A triple urocortin knockout mouse model reveals an essential role for urocortins in stress recovery. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 107: 19020-19025, 2010.

  • Paul ED, Hale MW, Lukkes JL, Valentine MJ, Sarchet DM, Lowry CA. Repeated social defeat increases reactive emotional coping behavior and alters functional responses in serotonergic neurons in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus. Physiology & Behavior 104: 272-282, 2011.

  • Raison CL, Lowry CA, Rook GA. Inflammation, sanitation, and consternation: loss of contact with coevolved, tolerogenic microorganisms and the pathophysiology and treatment of major depression. Archives of General Psychiatry 67: 1211-1224, 2010.

  • Rook GAW, Lowry CA, Raison CL. Lymphocytes in neuroprotection, cognition and emotion: is intolerance really the answer? Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 25: 591-601, 2011.

  • Rozeske RR, Evans AK, Frank MG, Watkins LR, Lowry CA, Maier SF. Uncontrollable, but not controllable, stress desensitizes 5-HT1A receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus. Journal of Neuroscience 31: 14107-14115, 2011.

  • Spannuth BM, Hale MW, Evans AK, Lukkes JL, Campeau S, Lowry CA. Investigation of a central nucleus of the amygdala/dorsal raphe nucleus serotonergic circuit implicated in fear-potentiated startle. Neuroscience 179: 104-119, 2011.
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