Name: Erik Zornik

Position: Assistant Professor of Biology

Research Description:

The overarching goal of my research is to discover mechanisms in the brain that generate behaviors. More specifically, I want to learn how behavioral variation is encoded in neural circuits. To achieve these goals, I am investigating courtship vocal behaviors of African clawed frogs, Xenopus laevis. Adults of this species exhibit a rich vocal repertoire of at least seven call types that range from rhythmically simple to temporally complex. Xenopus vocalizations are sexually differentiated; males and females produce calls with distinct temporal characteristics that are regulated by steroid hormones during development and in adulthood. This rich palette of rhythmic behaviors combined with robust hormone dependence make X. laevis vocal behaviors an ideal subject for understanding the neural basis of behavior and behavioral plasticity.

Lab Memberships

Zornik Neurobiology Lab (Principal Investigator/Director)

Contact Information

Address:
Biology Department
Reed College
3203 SE Woodstock Blvd
Portland, Oregon
.97202, USA

Web Page: https://www.reed.edu/dean_of_faculty/faculty_profiles/profiles/zornik-erik.html
Phone:  503-459-4630