Puberty is a phase of life marked by dramatic behavioral change. During puberty, the reproductive axis matures causing gonadal steroid levels to rise well beyond what is normally seen in adulthood. Because of the profound emotional, cognitive, and social changes that occur during puberty, gonadal hormones must profoundly affect brain connectivity and function. What that impact is, however, is largely unknown. In this project, behavioral observation, electrophysiology, and neuropharmacology in rats will be used to identify the neural mechanisms that underlie the pubertal emergence of a discrete behavioral disposition: The attraction to the odors of the opposite sex. It is expected that testosterone will cause a specific excitatory synaptic connection within a brain region termed the amygdala to undergo long-term potentiation, i.e., an increase in synaptic efficacy. The potential impact of this work will be to identify the causal mechanisms that underlie the emergence of a discrete behavior, which has never before been accomplished in mammals or during puberty. The Data Management Plan involves the use of an electronic laboratory notebook, managed by LabArchives LLC, which permits the permanent off-site storage of all records, regardless of their format. Upon publication of the results, all data produced in conjunction with this project will be available to the public. To maximize the broader impacts of this work, teaching will be integrated with research by developing a course on Developmental Behavioral Neuroscience, comparing the efficacy of two teaching methods, and submitting our findings to a science education journal. Finally, the PIs will participate in the NET/Work program, which is a 2-year paid internship for talented undergraduates that enable them to gain hands-on research experience in University laboratories. Being the most racially diverse institution in Georgia's university system, NET/Work taps talented minority students and provides an entrée for them into Neuroscience.
