Demas Lab
Principal Investigator: Gregory E Demas
Institution: Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)
Primary Subfield: Neuroscience
Recruitment Status: ✅ Hiring Postdocs
Research Focus
Aggression is a complex, adaptive suite of behaviors conserved across mammals that has evolved to allow individuals to compete for limited resources and is critical for survival. Pathological aggression and violence, however, are associated with several psychiatric disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. We lack a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms underlying pathological aggression because we lack a full understanding of the complex mechanisms regulating variation in typical aggressive behavior. This knowledge is relevant to the NIH’s mission of understanding the biobehavioral and neurobiological mechanisms underlying aggressive behavior. This grant proposes to use an integrative approach, drawing upon environmental biology, neuroendocrinology, pharmacology, and molecular neuroscience to understand how the pineal hormone melatonin orchestrates increased aggressive behavior in males and females through actions on adrenal DHEA, its conversion to bioactive steroids, and direct actions on aggression circuits within the brain. It is widely accepted that there is a robust relationship be…
Active NIH Awards
- 5R01MH139864-02: A Seasonal Switch: Alternative Neuroendocrine Mechanisms Regulating Aggression (2026)
- 1R01MH139864-01: A Seasonal Switch: Alternative Neuroendocrine Mechanisms Regulating Aggression (2025)
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