![]() ![]() It’s a potentially important discovery, Boyd says, since the neurochemicals in the brain of a frog are either identical or almost identical to those in the human brain. They’ve discovered-for the first time in any organism-that the steroid in question influences two other chemical messengers from the pituitary gland. A color development system allows researchers to see whether the treatment under investigation makes the genes more or less active-do they produce more or less of their chemical product? The lab is investigating a steroid hormone that’s produced directly in the brain, and trying to understand how it works.īoyd likens the technique to a glass slide, with probes for each of the 32,000 genes of the frog. “The same chemical is linked to autism.”Īn exciting new line of research involves African clawed frogs and a new technique called microarray. The very same peptide is involved in pair bonding mammals,” Boyd says. Many behaviors-including vocalization, aggression and reproduction-are influenced by neuropeptides and steroid hormones similar to those found in humans. ![]() Because their behaviors are simpler, we’re looking at three behaviors instead of a hundred.”Īnother area of research looks at the vocal behavior of bullfrogs, something that’s often a critical component of social interaction. “Obviously they have fewer words than we do, and their behaviors are simpler. “Frogs use vocal communications-as do humans, she explains. Does she pick the first male that meets the basic criteria, or-in what Boyd calls the “best of” strategy, make comparisons among several males?įrogs are useful organisms for conducting basic research, says Boyd, because they bear a considerable resemblance to humans-they have the same basic brain areas, and the same basic behaviors. But how does she choose? The lab’s research is investigating two possible strategies. “Then we create computer models where we explore what might be causing the behavior,” says Boyd, an associate professor in Notre Dame’s Department of Biological Sciences.įemale frogs prefer males with longer calls-a trait linked to better offspring. Boyd, along with two postdoctoral researchers, two graduate students and three undergraduates, goes out into the real world-the real world being UNDERC, the University’s environmental research center in Land O’Lakes, Wis.-and observe what frogs are doing in nature. ![]()
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