OVERVIEW OF THE DEMAS LAB

Welcome to the Demas Lab web page.  The primary focus of our laboratory is in the general area of “ecological physiology”.  Specifically, we study of the interactions among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems and behavior in a variety of ecologically relevant environmental contexts. For example, many non-tropical organisms experience pronounced fluctuations in environmental conditions (e.g., day length, ambient temperature, food availability, social interactions) across the seasons of the year. Consequently, individuals of a wide range of species have evolved specific adaptive mechanisms to cope with seasonal fluctuations in the environment. These adaptations may be physiological (e.g., changes in energy balance, reproductive function or immunity) or behavioral (e.g., changes in foraging, migration, aggression or social behavior).  The broad goal of our research is to identity the environmental and social factors contributing to seasonal changes in specific physiological and behavioral responses and to determine the neural, endocrine and immune mechanisms underlying these changes.  Although this research focuses primarily on rodent species (e.g., Siberian hamsters, deer mice, voles), we also address these questions in amphibian and avian species.

OUR MISSION

Our laboratory is in a unique position to apply an integrative approach to the understanding of how the brain communicates with the periphery in coordinating seasonal and other environmental changes in physiology and behavior. We believe an integrative, multidisciplinary approach will allow for a biologically meaningful, ecologically relevant examination of the interactions among the neuroendocrine and immune systems and behavior.