Jill Becker, Ph.D.
Senior Research Scientist, MBNI
Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry
Senior Neuroscience Scholar
Reproductive Sciences Program

1050 MBNI Building
205 Zina Pitcher Place
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5720

jbbecker@umich.edu

734-763-4363

Current Research Interests:

The Neuroendocrine and Neurochemical Bases of Sex Differences in Drug Abuse

Women now account for approximately 40% of regular cocaine users. The increase in cocaine use, especially among young women, is a serious public health concern since women begin using cocaine at a younger age than men. Furthermore, women enter treatment after a shorter period of time, with more severe drug problems, and poorer psychological functioning than do men. Research in my laboratory is investigating how sex differences in the brain may underlie the sex differences in drug addiction. We are also interested in the role of ovarian hormones in expression of these sex differences and the mechanisms mediating the rapid effects of estradiol in the brain.

A little background: What is a sex difference in the brain?

The brains of mammals undergo sexual differentiation during development. In rats this occurs during the perinatal period, in humans during the second trimester. Exposure to androgens (which is converted to estrogen in some areas of the brain) during this sensitive period, influences neuronal survival, differentiation and connectivity. There may also be sex chromosome effects on development of mesencephalic dopamine neurons. As a result, the brains ofgonadal hormones in the adult. Sex differences in the brain can be seen when males and females are compared after gonadectomy. In addition to the sexual dimorphisms caused by sexual differentiation, there may also be sex differences in brain function that are a result of sex differences in the gonadal hormones produced in the adult. This second type of sex difference can be due the effect of the gonadal hormones acting on the sexually dimorphic brain, or because males and females produce different hormones.

Why study sex differences in the brain?

In addition, basic research on the role of gender/sex and ovarian hormones in the neurochemical and behavioral responses to acute and repeated exposure to cocaine is important to enhance our understanding of the underlying neural processes involved in sex differences in drug abuse. An understanding of the mechanisms through which ovarian hormones act in the brain is important in order to develop treatments for many disorders in which an individual’s gender and a female’s reproductive status and ovarian cycle may impact outcome. A long-term goal of mine is to identify the quantitative and qualitative changes in the brains of male and female rats associated with behavioral sensitization to psychomotor stimulants and to identify those changes necessary for the development or expression of addictive behaviors.

For more information, please visit the Becker Lab Website.

Selected References:

J. B. Becker, K. Berkley, N. Geary, E. Hampson, J. P. Herman, and E. A. Young (EDS). Sex Differences in the Brain: from Genes to Behavior, Oxford University Press, 2007 (IN PRESS).

Eckel, L., Arnold, A. P., Hampson, E, Becker, J. B., Blaustein, J., and Herman, J. P. Research and Methodological Issues in the Study of Sex Differences and Hormone-Behavior Relations. IN: Sex Differences in the Brain: from Genes to Behavior, ED: J. B. Becker, K. Berkley, N. Geary, E. Hampson, J. P. Herman, and E. A. Young. Oxford University Press, 2007 (IN PRESS).

Becker, J. B. and Taylor, J. R. Sex Differences in Motivation. IN: Sex Differences in the Brain: from Genes to Behavior, ED: J. B. Becker, K. Berkley, N. Geary, E. Hampson, J. P. Herman, and E. A. Young. Oxford University Press, 2007 (IN PRESS).

Becker, J. B. Introduction to the Special Issue: Sex Genes and Steroids, Brain Research 2006, 1129:1.

Becker, J. B. and Meisel, R. L. Neurochemistry and Molecular Biology of Reward. IN: Handbook of Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology, 3rd Edition. Editor in Chief: A. Lajtha. Volume 21, Ed: J. Blaustein. (In Press, 2006 publication).