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Dr. Spencer received his Ph.D. in Biopsychology in 1986 from
the University of Arizona. He was a recipient of an individual
National Research Service Award postdoctoral fellowship and
carried out his postdoctoral studies at the Rockefeller University,
where he continued on as an assistant professor from 1991-1993.
He joined the Department of Psychology at the University of
Colorado, Boulder as an assistant professor in 1994 and was
promoted to associate professor in 1999. He currently is a
recipient of an NIH Independent Investigator Award (K02).
Dr. Spencer's research has focused on understanding the
regulation of a neuroendocrine system, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
axis, and how that system contributes to stress adaptation.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis controls the secretion
of the glucocorticoid hormones (cortisol and corticosterone)
and is activated by stress. Dr. Spencer's laboratory is currently
studying mechanisms by which glucocorticoids affect the expression
of certain stress responsive genes in various brain regions
that may be especially critical to an organism's ability to
adapt to repeated stress. Dr. Spencer's research has also
examined mechanisms of corticosteroid receptor regulation
and glucocorticoid regulation of the immune system.
Dr. Spencer has co-authored over 60 research papers and
his research program has been supported by the National Institute
of Mental Health, the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive
and Kidney Diseases, and the McArthur Foundation.
Selected Publications:
Girotti, M, Pace, TWW, Gaylord, RI, Rubin, BA, Herman, JP
and RL Spencer. Habituation to repeated restraint stress is
associated with lack of stress-induced c-fos expression in
primary sensory processing areas of the rat brain. Neuroscience,
138: 1067-1081, 2006.
Ginsberg, AB, Frank, MG, Francis, AB, Rubin, BA, O’Connor,
KA and RL Spencer. Specific and time-dependent effects of
glucocorticoid receptor agonist RU28362 on stress-induced
POMC hnRNA, c-fos mRNA and zif268 mRNA in the pituitary. Journal
of Neuroendocrinology, 18:129-138, 2006.
*Pace, TWW, *Gaylord, R, Topczewski, F, Girotti, M, Rubin,
B and RL Spencer. Immediate early gene induction in hippocampus
and cortex as a result of novel experience is not directly
related to the stressfulness of that experience. European
Journal of Neuroscience, 22:1679-1690, 2005. *T.W.W.P and
R.G contributed equally to this work.
Pace, TWW and RL Spencer. Disruption of mineralocorticoid
receptor function increases corticosterone responding to a
mild, but not moderate, psychological stressor. American Journal
of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism, 288: 1082-1088,
2005.
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