The Behavioural Neuroscience cluster is a strongly interdisciplinary group that includes UTM psychologists (Beston, Gerlai, Holmes, Martin, Monks, Smith, Zovkic), as well as several UTM biologists. These researchers use leading edge genetic, molecular, and behavioural neuroscience technologies to understand how gene-environment interactions result in individual variations in development and behaviour in humans and diverse model organisms. Another line of research concerns human genetic disorders and a third line examines the behavioural and neuropsychological consequences of a variety of disorders of the central nervous system in children. The formation of the Behavioural Neuroscience group has enabled the support of new interdisciplinary training programs including the undergraduate Specialist program in Behaviour, Genetics and Neurobiology.
Faculty Members
Beston, Brett
applied educational psychology, pedagogy, well-being, biopsychology, neuroscience, experience-dependent development, perception, vision.
Gerlai, Robert
behaviour genetics, behavioural neuroscience, zebrafish, mouse, animal learning and memory, animal models of alcoholism, animal models of fear and anxiety, social behaviour, behavioural phenotyping.
Holmes, Melissa
behavioural neuroscience; neuroendocrinology; neuroplasticity; social behaviour; social status.
Martin, Loren
behavioural neuroscience, pain, stress, sex differences, social interactions, empathy, emotional contagion, memory, synaptic plasticity.
Monks, Ashley
sex differences, sexual development, hormones, testosterone, neuroanatomy, sexual behaviour, neuromuscular systems, kennedy disease/SBMA.
Zovkic, Iva
behavioural neuroscience, neurobiology, learning and memory, fear conditioning, systems consolidation, epigenetics, histone variant exchange, chromatin, rodents.
Affiliated Faculty Members
Doug VanderLaan
gender and sexual orientation diversity, child and adolescent mental health, alloparenting; family and peer relationships; developmental psychology; crosscultural psychology; evolutionary psychology; clinical psychology; neuroimaging.