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KRISTIN M. KRAMER, Ph.D. |
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Assistant
Professor Ph.D.,
University of Minnesota Department
of Biology Life
Sciences 531 Phone: (901) 678-2985 Fax: (901) 678-4457 email: kkramer1@memphis.edu Research Interests: What
creates a social mammal? Why are
some species of mammals monogamous?
What hormones regulate positive social behavior and sexual
behavior? What neuroanatomical
features facilitate social behavior?
How do those features arise within individuals or within a species? My research program addresses these questions using two
different groups of rodents as a model system. Most of my work has been done with prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) and other Microtus species. I also do some comparative work using deer
mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and
California mice (P. californicus). I am interested in the neuroendocrine
regulation of positive social behaviors such as affiliation in mammals. In particular, I study the effects of the
neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin on social behavior. Additionally, I am interested in the
interaction between neuropeptides and estrogen receptor a and its importance
for social behavior. One way I have
addressed this is by manipulating neuropeptides and examining animals for
changes in estrogen receptor a.
Future work will involve the use of a viral vector to increase or
decrease estrogen receptors in particular brain regions. In addition to trying to understand the
mechanisms that facilitate or inhibit social behavior, I am also interested
in how those mechanisms arise.
Primarily, I have examined the role of hormones during developmental
periods on social behavior in adulthood and on the underlying neuroendocrine
mechanisms. One approach I have used
is to treat animals with oxytocin early in life and examine animals for
alterations in social behavior. This
has implications for human health, as the synthetic form of oxytocin is used
in the majority of hospital deliveries and may have the potential to affect
neural development of the infant.
Future work will address the possibility that the social environment
early in life plays a role in determining social behavior in adulthood. I am also interested in an evolutionary approach. Monogamy is a rare social system in
mammals with only ~ 3-5% of mammals being classified as monogamous. A secondary aspect of my research program
involves comparative studies and manipulations to better understand the
evolution of neuroendocrine systems involved in monogamy.
Selected Publications Kramer KM, Choe C, Carter CS, Cushing
BS. 2005. Developmental effects of
oxytocin on neural activation and neuropeptide release in response to social
stimuli. Hormones and Behavior. In press. Cushing BS, Kramer KM. 2005. Mechanisms underlying
epigenetic effects of early social experience: the role of neuropeptides and
steroids. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 29:1089-1115. Reeder DM, Kramer KM. 2005. Stress in free-ranging mammals: integrating physiology,
ecology, and natural history. Journal of Mammalogy 86: 225-235. Kramer KM, Yamamoto Y, Hoffman GE,
Cushing BS. 2005. Estrogen
receptor a and vasopressin in the
paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus in Peromyscus. Brain Research 1032: 154-161. Cushing BS, Kramer KM. 2005. Microtines: a model system for studying the evolution and
regulation of social monogamy. Acta
Theriologica Sinica. 25:182-199. Kramer KM,
Cushing BS, Carter CS, Wu J, Ottinger MA. 2004. Sex and species differences in plasma oxytocin using an
enzyme immunoassay. Canadian Journal of Zoology 82:1194-1200. Yamamoto Y, Cushing BS, Kramer KM, Epperson PD,
Hoffman GE, Carter CS. 2004. Neonatal
manipulations of oxytocin alter expression of oxytocin and vasopressin
immunoreactive cells in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus in a
gender-specific manner. Neuroscience 125:947-955. Kramer
KM, Cushing BS, Carter CS. 2003. Developmental effects of oxytocin on stress response:
single versus repeated exposure. Physiology
& Behavior 79:775-782. Withuhn TF, Kramer KM, Cushing BS. 2003. Early exposure to oxytocin
affects the age of vaginal opening and first estrus in female rats. Physiology & Behavior 80:135-138. Brunet
AK, Zink RM, Kramer KM, Blackwell-Rago RC, Farrell SL, Line TV, Birney
EC. 2002. Evidence of
introgression between masked shrews (Sorex
cinereus) and prairie shrews (S.
haydeni) in Kramer KM,
Birney EC. 2001. Effect of light
intensity on activity patterns of Patagonian leaf-eared mice, Phyllotis xanthopygus. Journal of Mammalogy 82:535-544. Kramer KM, Sothern RB. 2001. Circadian rhythm of
corticosterone secretion in red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi).
Chronobiology International 18:933-945. Kramer
KM, Monjeau JA, Birney EC, Sikes RS. 1999. Phyllotis xanthopygus.
Mammalian Species 617:1-7. Kramer
KM. 1998. Inexpensive motion detectors
for quantification of animal activity.
BioTechniques 25:385-388. |
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