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delville@utexas.edu
Phone: 512-232-5731
Office Location
SEA
Postal Address
108 E DEAN KEETON ST
AUSTIN, TX 78712-
I received my Ph.D in 1992 from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst working in the laboratory of Jeff Blaustein. Afterwards, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Physiology Department at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester in the laboratory of Craig Ferris. I became Assistant Professor in the Behavioral Neuroscience Program of the Psychiatry Department at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester in 1994. I joined the Psychology Department at the University of Texas in 1999. I am a member of the Behavioral Neuroscience Area in the Psychology Department and of the Institute For Neuroscience.
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Research in my laboratory is focused on various aspects of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology. During development, the nervous system is vulnerable to a variety of environmental factors. In turn, these neurobiological changes are responsible for behavioral alterations. For instance, changes in the maternal environment can be responsible for individual differences in personality traits. I am particularly interested in the role of social stress on the development of aggression during puberty, and in individual differences in stress responsiveness associated with differences in social behavior. Recent studies suggest that stress resulting from bullying plays a critical role in the appearance of abnormally violent behavior in teenagers. Fortunately, only a fraction of bullied adolescents become violent. We are using animal models to study the neurobiological mechanisms underlying changes in aggressive behavior caused by social stress during puberty. These studies allow us to better understand the neurotransmitter systems and neural networks coordinating aggressive responses by individuals. In addition, our studies with animals help us to draw predictions that are currently testing with human subjects.
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