My research interests lie in the fields of neuroscience and neuroendocrinology. There are three main projects ongoing in my laboratory. The first of these, which is being performed in collaboration with Dr. Catherine Rivier of the Salk Institute in San Diego, involves investigating the functional and anatomical aspects of a novel, non-hormonal neural brain-testes pathway that bypasses the pituitary to rapidly regulate testosterone secretion in the rat. Through this research, we hope to uncover the mechanisms by which testosterone synthesis and release in males is rapidly reduced by stress and illness, ultimately leading to infertility.
The second main project in the lab is being carried out in conjunction with Dr. Leslie Devaud of the ISU College of Pharmacy. This research involves exploring brain differences in the responses to alcohol between male and female rats. The aim of the research is to determine if the cyclical changes in hormone secretion throughout the estrous cycle in females alters their neural and hormonal responses to alcohol administered either directly into the brain, or alternatively, into the stomach. We also are interested in comparing female response to alcohol to those of males. The overall goal of the research is to better our understanding of how male and female brains react differently to alcohol, so that better and more specific pharmacological and psychological treatments can be developed to treat alcohol-related problems in the two sexes.
The third project in the lab, which is being done in collaboration with Dr. Erin Rasmussen of the ISU Department of Psychology, involves research into the role of the brain endocannabinoid system in the behavior of rats that have been food-deprived in utero. The endocannabinoid system is stimulated by the active ingredient in marijuana, delta-9-tetra-hydrocannibol, and is thought to take part in the regulation of a number of brain functions, including memory formation, eating behavior, weight regulation, and pain sensation. The aim of this research is to determine whether the changes in body weight, food intake, and locomotor activity seen in rats that are undernourished in utero can be linked to changes in brain cannabinoid receptor levels.
Selected Publications
Selvage DJ and Rivier C (2004). Leydig cell activity is regulated by a neural pathway
between the hypothalamus and the testes that does not include the pituitary. Recent
Research Progress in Endocrinology, (4)1: 97-114
Lee S, Selvage DJ, Hansen K, and Rivier C (2004). Site of action of acute alcohol
administration in stimulating the rat hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis: Comparison
between the effect of systemic and intracerebroventricular injection of this drug on
pituitary and hypothalamic responses. Endocrinology, 145(10):4470-9
Selvage DJ and Johnston CA (2004). Interaction between norepinephrine, oxytocin, and
nitric oxide on the stimulation of GnRH release from proestrous rat basal hypothalamus
explants. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 16(10):819-2
Selvage DJ, Lee S, Parsons L, Seo DO, and Rivier C (2004). The intracerebroventricular
injection of alcohol inhibits testosterone secretion through a mechanism that is
independent of pituitary LH and involves the hypothalamus: Comparison with
interleukin-1??? Endocrinology 145 (4): 1750-9
Selvage DJ, Hales DB, and Rivier C (2004). Comparison between the influence of the
systemic and central injection of alcohol on Leydig cell activity. Alcoholism: Clinical
and experimental research 28 (3): 480-8
Selvage DJ and Rivier C (2003). Importance of the paraventricular nucleus of the
hypothalamus as a component of a neural pathway between the brain and the testes that
modulates testosterone secretion independently of the pituitary. Endocrinology 144 (2):
594-8.
Selvage DJ and Johnston CA (2001). Central stimulatory influence of oxytocin on
preovulatory gonadotropin-releasing hormone requires more than the median eminence.
Neuroendocrinology, 74 (2): 129-34.
Sumova A, Maywood E, Selvage DJ, Ebling FJ, Hastings MH (1996). Serotonergic
antagonists impair arousal-induced phase shifts of the circadian system of the syrian
hamster. Brain Research, 709 (1): 88-96
Hastings MH, Best JD, Ebling FJ, Maywood ES, McNulty S, Schurov I,
Selvage, DJ, Sloper, P, Smith KL (1996). Entrainment of the circadian
clock.” Progress in Brain Research, 111: 147-74
