Kathryn Lenz

PhD Student

Program in Neuroscience

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Indiana University

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Current Research:

My graduate research focuses on the effects of early maternal care on neural and behavioral development. Maternal care is known to influence the development of many brain systems, including those controlling learning and memory, mood, stress behavior, and sexual behavior. My research focuses on this last behavior, specifically on how variations in maternal licking behavior influence the development of male copulatory behavior and the corresponding development of a motor nucleus in the lumbar spinal cord controlling that behavior.

The spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) is a discrete motoneuron population that innervates the base of the penis and controls masculine copulatory reflexes. The development of this neuronal population, especially its dendritic arbor, is sensitive to early experience. One such experience is maternal licking behavior, which occurs in rats during the first two postnatal weeks. In my past and ongoing research, I have found that experimentally reducing the maternal licking behavior causes a decrease in the length of SNB motoneuron dendrites. We have also found that variations in pups’ early maternal experiences influence their corresponding penile reflexes in adulthood.

My future research will continue to explore the mechanisms by which early maternal licking influences the development of the SNB, with a focus on sex and stress hormones as well as sensory afferent innervation as possible mediators of these effects.

Publications:

Lenz, K.M., Sengelaub, D.R. 2006. Maternal licking influences dendritic development of motoneurons in a sexually dimorphic neuromuscular system. Brain Research, 1092, 87-99.

Boatwright, K.J., Egidio, R., Vibbert, S., Connors, C., Fox, A., Leafers, J., Spang, E., McCracken, K., Lacina, M., Vanorio, L., Lenz, K. 2003. Leadership aspirations of women college students. Journal of College Student Development, 44, 653-669

Posters and Presentations:

Lenz, K.M., Graham, M.D., Fleming, A.S., Sengelaub, D.R., Monks, D.M. 2006. Penile reflexes and SNB motoneuron morphology in artificially reared male rats under various conditions of tactile stimulation. Soc Neurosci Abstr: 150.10. Thirty-sixth Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. (poster)

Lenz, K.M. 2006. Maternal licking influences dendritic development of motoneurons in a sexually dimorphic neuromuscular system. Gill Center for Biomolecular Science Conference, Indiana University. (poster)

Lenz, K.M. 2006. Maternal licking influences dendritic development of motoneurons in a sexually dimorphic neuromuscular system. Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior Conference, Indiana University. (presentation)

Lenz K.M., Sengelaub D.R. 2005. Maternal licking influences dendritic development of motoneurons in a sexually dimorphic neuromuscular system. Soc Neurosci Abstr: 600.16. Thirty-fifth Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. (poster)

Lenz, K.M. 2003. Perceptions of feminism: A comparative study of social movements. Van Liere Student Research Symposium, Kalamazoo College. (presentation)