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Darwin At The Drugstore? Testing The Biological Fitness Of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Alan L. Gillen, Sarah Anderson Jul 2019

Darwin At The Drugstore? Testing The Biological Fitness Of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Alan L. Gillen, Sarah Anderson

Alan L. Gillen

The issue of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is growing. For example, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a leading human pathogen. New strains of MRSA are resistant to methicillin and numerous other antibiotics, placing the patient in significant danger. Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control revealed in 2007 that the number of deaths due to MRSA exceeded that of AIDS in the United States. It is no wonder that antibiotic resistance is one of the most significant and important health care issues. The ability of bacterial pathogens to evade traditional antibiotics is faster than the drug makers’ ability to make new …


Law And Biology: Toward An Integrated Model Of Human Behavior, Owen D. Jones Apr 2019

Law And Biology: Toward An Integrated Model Of Human Behavior, Owen D. Jones

Owen Jones

As first year law students unhappily discover, the meaning of "law" is frustratingly protean, shifting by usage and user. Depending on whom you ask, law is a system of rules, a body of precedents, a legislative enactment, a collection of norms, a process by which social goals are pursued, or some dynamic mixture of these. Law's principal purpose is to define and protect individual rights, to ensure public order, to resolve disputes, to redistribute wealth, to dispense justice, to prevent or compensate for injury, to optimize economic efficiency, or perhaps to do something else. And yet one thing is irreducibly …


On The Nature Of Norms: Biology, Morality, And The Disruption Of Order, Owen D. Jones Apr 2019

On The Nature Of Norms: Biology, Morality, And The Disruption Of Order, Owen D. Jones

Owen Jones

This essay discusses the legal implications of bio-behavioral underpinnings to norms, morality, and economic order. It first discusses the recent book "The Great Disruption: Human Nature and the Reconstitution of Social Order," in which Francis Fukuyama explores the importance of evolved human nature to the reconstruction of social order and a thriving economy. It then addresses the extent to which we can usefully view law-relevant norms as products of evolutionary - as well as economic - processes.


Law And Behavioral Biology, Owen D. Jones, Timothy H. Goldsmith Apr 2019

Law And Behavioral Biology, Owen D. Jones, Timothy H. Goldsmith

Owen Jones

Society uses law to encourage people to behave differently than they would behave in the absence of law. This fundamental purpose makes law highly dependent on sound understandings of the multiple causes of human behavior. The better those understandings, the better law can achieve social goals with legal tools. In this Article, Professors Jones and Goldsmith argue that many long held understandings about where behavior comes from are rapidly obsolescing as a consequence of developments in the various fields constituting behavioral biology. By helping to refine law's understandings of behavior's causes, they argue, behavioral biology can help to improve law's …


Characterizing The Evolutionary Path(S) To Early Homo, Lauren Schroeder, Charles C. Roseman, James M. Cheverud, Rebecca R. Ackermann Oct 2017

Characterizing The Evolutionary Path(S) To Early Homo, Lauren Schroeder, Charles C. Roseman, James M. Cheverud, Rebecca R. Ackermann

James Cheverud

Numerous studies suggest that the transition from Australopithecus to Homo was characterized by evolutionary innovation, resulting in the emergence and coexistence of a diversity of forms. However, the evolutionary processes necessary to drive such a transition have not been examined. Here, we apply statistical tests developed from quantitative evolutionary theory to assess whether morphological differences among late australopith and early Homo species in Africa have been shaped by natural selection. Where selection is demonstrated, we identify aspects of morphology that were most likely under selective pressure, and determine the nature (type, rate) of that selection. Results demonstrate that selection must …


Ap1 Balance Between Concentration And Charge Is A Donnan Equilibrium, Paul D. Heideman Jun 2017

Ap1 Balance Between Concentration And Charge Is A Donnan Equilibrium, Paul D. Heideman

Paul Heideman

No abstract provided.


Ap2- Resting Potential Of A Typical Cell, Paul D. Heideman Jun 2017

Ap2- Resting Potential Of A Typical Cell, Paul D. Heideman

Paul Heideman

No abstract provided.


Ap3 Voltage Gated Sodium Channels First Half Of An Action Potential, Paul D. Heideman Jun 2017

Ap3 Voltage Gated Sodium Channels First Half Of An Action Potential, Paul D. Heideman

Paul Heideman

No abstract provided.


Larval Life History And Abundance Of A Rare Salamander, Eurycea Junaluska (Plethodontidae), Travis Ryan Feb 2015

Larval Life History And Abundance Of A Rare Salamander, Eurycea Junaluska (Plethodontidae), Travis Ryan

Travis J. Ryan

The larval life history of Eurycea junaluska was studied in three southwestern North Carolina populations. Populations were sampled quarterly over a 13 mo period and size-class analyses were used to evaluate the pattern of larval growth and metamorphosis. Young of the year appeared in the late spring and experienced rapid growth through the first summer. Growth slowed in the second year and metamorphosis usually occured in the summer at about 25.5 mo post-hatching, although some data suggest that either 1yr or 3yr larval periods may be possible. The overall larval growth rate of E. junaluska is estimated at 1.27 mm/mo, …


The Influence Of Topographic And Dynamic Cyclic Variables On The Distribution Of Small Cetaceans In A Shallow Coastal System, Marijke N. De Boer, Mark P. Simmonds, Peter J.H. Reijnders, Geert Aarts Dec 2014

The Influence Of Topographic And Dynamic Cyclic Variables On The Distribution Of Small Cetaceans In A Shallow Coastal System, Marijke N. De Boer, Mark P. Simmonds, Peter J.H. Reijnders, Geert Aarts

Mark P. Simmonds, OBE

The influence of topographic and temporal variables on cetacean distribution at a fine-scale is still poorly understood. To study the spatial and temporal distribution of harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena and the poorly known Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus we carried out land-based observations from Bardsey Island (Wales, UK) in summer (2001–2007). Using Kernel analysis and Generalized Additive Models it was shown that porpoises and Risso’s appeared to be linked to topographic and dynamic cyclic variables with both species using different core areas (dolphins to the West and porpoises to the East off Bardsey). Depth, slope and aspect and a low variation …


The Effects Of Temperature And Daylength On The Rosa Polyphenism In The Buckeye Butterfly, Precis Coenia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), Kelly C. Smith Dec 2014

The Effects Of Temperature And Daylength On The Rosa Polyphenism In The Buckeye Butterfly, Precis Coenia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), Kelly C. Smith

Kelly C Smith

In North Carolina, Precis coenia that emerge during the Summer months exhibit a ventral hindwing (VHW) with well-defined reddish-brown and brown pattern elements on a light tan background. During late Summer and early Fall, however, individuals begin to appear with poorly defined or obscured pattern elements on a dark reddish-brown background. The present study shows that the Fall (rosa) color morph can be induced by either low rearing temperatures or short daylengths. The effect of such conditions seems to be cumulative throughout the larval life, although animals are much more sensitive during the last 24 hours of larval life and …


The Ups And Downs Of Knowledge Infrastructures In Science: Implications For Data Management, Christine L. Borgman, Peter T. Darch, Ashley E. Sands, Jillian C. Wallis, Sharon Traweek Aug 2014

The Ups And Downs Of Knowledge Infrastructures In Science: Implications For Data Management, Christine L. Borgman, Peter T. Darch, Ashley E. Sands, Jillian C. Wallis, Sharon Traweek

Christine L. Borgman

The promise of technology-enabled, data-intensive scholarship is predicated upon access to knowledge infrastructures that are not yet in place. Scientific data management requires expertise in the scientific domain and in organizing and retrieving complex research objects. The Knowledge Infrastructures project compares data management activities of four large, distributed, multidisciplinary scientific endeavors as they ramp their activities up or down; two are big science and two are small science. Research questions address digital library solutions, knowledge infrastructure concerns, issues specific to individual domains, and common problems across domains. Findings are based on interviews (n=113 to date), ethnography, and other analyses of …


Conservation In The Context Of Climate Change: Practical Guidelines For Land Protection At Local Scales, Kevin Ruddock, Peter August, Christopher Damon, Charles Labash, Pamela Rubinoff, Donald Robadue Jr. Dec 2013

Conservation In The Context Of Climate Change: Practical Guidelines For Land Protection At Local Scales, Kevin Ruddock, Peter August, Christopher Damon, Charles Labash, Pamela Rubinoff, Donald Robadue Jr.

Peter August

Climate change will affect the composition of plant and animal communities in many habitats and geographic settings. This presents a dilemma for conservation programs – will the portfolio of protected lands we now have achieve a goal of conserving biodiversity in the future when the ecological communities occurring within them change? Climate change will significantly alter many plant communities, but the geophysical underpinnings of these landscapes, such as landform, elevation, soil, and geological properties, will largely remain the same. Studies show that extant landscapes with a diversity of geophysical characteristics support diverse plant and animal communities. Therefore, geophysically diverse landscapes …


Encyclopedia Of Animal Behavior, A. Payne, P. Starks, Aviva Liebert Jun 2013

Encyclopedia Of Animal Behavior, A. Payne, P. Starks, Aviva Liebert

Aviva E Liebert

The Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior has engaged-with great success-the efforts of many of the best behavioral biologists of the 21st century. Section editors drawn from the most accomplished behavioral scientists of their generation have enrolled an international cast of highly respected thinkers and writers-all of whom have taken great care and joy in illuminating every imaginable corner of animal behavior. This comprehensive work covers not only the usual topics such as communication, learning, sexual selection, navigation, and the history of the field, but also emerging topics in cognition, animal welfare, conservation, and applications of animal behavior. The large section on …


Taming Of The Skew: Transactional Models Fail To Predict Reproductive Partitioning In The Paper Wasp Polistes Dominulus, Aviva Liebert, Philip Starks Feb 2013

Taming Of The Skew: Transactional Models Fail To Predict Reproductive Partitioning In The Paper Wasp Polistes Dominulus, Aviva Liebert, Philip Starks

Aviva E Liebert

Female Polistes paper wasps can initiate colonies either solitarily or in cooperative groups. Reproduction is often distributed unequally in groups, even to the point of complete monopolization of breeding by the dominant group member. Transactional models of reproductive skew predict the degree of reproductive partitioning, assuming that the dominant controls group membership and will yield a proportion of reproduction to a subordinate as an incentive to stay peacefully in the group. Using a combination of demographic, genetic and morphological data from a population of P. dominulus, we test predictions of 'classical' two-person skew models as well as more complex …


The Relationships Between Cuticular Hydrocarbon Composition, Faunal Assemblages, Inter-Island Distance, And Population Genetic Variation In Tuscan Archipelago Wasps, Leonardo Dapporto, Aviva Liebert, Philip Starks, Stefano Turillazzi Feb 2013

The Relationships Between Cuticular Hydrocarbon Composition, Faunal Assemblages, Inter-Island Distance, And Population Genetic Variation In Tuscan Archipelago Wasps, Leonardo Dapporto, Aviva Liebert, Philip Starks, Stefano Turillazzi

Aviva E Liebert

Until recently, studies examining the geographical distribution of insects in the Tuscan Archipelago have focused on paleogeography as the primary influence on species distributions. However, for flying insects such as Hymenoptera that may be able to disperse over water, current geographical location is likely to be more important in determining present distributions within the Archipelago. Here we compare mainland and island wasp populations using genetic variation and cuticular hydrocarbon composition of the vespid wasp Polistes dominulus, and species composition of wasps in the family Pompilidae. Both chemical and genetic data result in similar clustering of P. dominulus populations that reflect …


Sexual Interactions And Nestmate Recognition In Invasive Populations Of Polistes Dominulus Wasps, Aviva Liebert, N Wilson-Rich, C Johnson, Philip Starks Feb 2013

Sexual Interactions And Nestmate Recognition In Invasive Populations Of Polistes Dominulus Wasps, Aviva Liebert, N Wilson-Rich, C Johnson, Philip Starks

Aviva E Liebert

Many social insect species have mating systems or recognition abilities that minimize the chance of inbreeding. In haplodiploid systems, inbreeding is especially costly due to the production of sterile offspring such as diploid males. Diploid males (and their triploid offspring) have been identified in invasive populations of the paper wasp, Polistes dominulus, but to date have not been reported in its native populations. Due to the degree of genetic diversity in the invasive populations, it is unlikely that the production of these genetic ‘misfits’ is the result of a genetic bottleneck alone, but rather that errors in nestmate recognition may …


Nest Hydrocarbons As Cues For Philopatry In A Paper Wasp, Annagiri Sumana, Aviva Liebert, Anne Berry, Ghislaine Switz, Colin Orians, Philip Starks Feb 2013

Nest Hydrocarbons As Cues For Philopatry In A Paper Wasp, Annagiri Sumana, Aviva Liebert, Anne Berry, Ghislaine Switz, Colin Orians, Philip Starks

Aviva E Liebert

Philopatric behavior has been demonstrated in a wide taxonomic spread of animals. In temperate environments, overwintered Polistes wasp foundresses often return to their natal nest prior to initiating colony construction. Previous research has shown that these spring foundresses can identify the natal nest in the absence of landmark and gross morphological cues. Hydrocarbons are essential recognition cues for Polistes nest and nestmate discrimination, but cuticular hydrocarbon profiles can become homogenized when foundresses overwinter in mixed colony groups. We examined the hydrocarbon profiles of Polistes dominulus foundresses and nests before and after an overwintering period, and found that the hydrocarbon profiles …


Extreme Polygyny: Multi-Seasonal “Hypergynous” Nesting In The Introduced Paper Wasp Polistes Dominulus, Aviva Liebert, Julia Hui, Peter Nonacs, Philip Starks Feb 2013

Extreme Polygyny: Multi-Seasonal “Hypergynous” Nesting In The Introduced Paper Wasp Polistes Dominulus, Aviva Liebert, Julia Hui, Peter Nonacs, Philip Starks

Aviva E Liebert

In temperate climates, female paper wasps typically initiate new colonies in the spring. Several nest-founding tactics have been documented in Polistes species, including solitary nest initiation, joining a cooperative association, usurping an existing nest, or adopting an abandoned nest. Occasionally, exceptionally large groups of females have also been found reusing nests from the previous season. Here we report this phenomenon in introduced populations of the Eurasian species Polistes dominulus. We describe in detail the demographic and genetic characteristics of one such spring colony from Los Angeles, California, USA, which was collected with 84 associated adults and all stages of developing …


Solitary Nesting And Reproductive Success In The Paper Wasp Polistes Aurifer, Aviva Liebert, Peter Nonacs, Robert Wayne Feb 2013

Solitary Nesting And Reproductive Success In The Paper Wasp Polistes Aurifer, Aviva Liebert, Peter Nonacs, Robert Wayne

Aviva E Liebert

Female Polistes paper wasps are capable of independent nesting, yet many populations demonstrate a mixture of solitary and cooperative nest foundation. Previous studies of Polistes have found survival and/or productivity advantages of cooperative nest foundation compared to solitary nesting, and reproductive skew models have been designed to predict the dynamics of such flexible cooperation. In this paper, we examine the success of different nesting strategies in a previously unstudied population of Polistes aurifer in southern California. The colony cycle of this population is less synchronous than that of other temperate species, and the frequency of solitary nesting averages 86.2%. Our …


Wolbachia In The Invasive European Paper Wasp Polistes Dominulus, J Stahlhut, Aviva Liebert, Philip Starks, Leonardo Dapporto, J Jaenike Feb 2013

Wolbachia In The Invasive European Paper Wasp Polistes Dominulus, J Stahlhut, Aviva Liebert, Philip Starks, Leonardo Dapporto, J Jaenike

Aviva E Liebert

The European paper wasp Polistes dominulus has been expanding its North American range since its introduction in the 1970s. We screened P. dominulus from Italy and the northeastern U.S. for the presence of the intracellular reproductive symbiont Wolbachia. Infection rates among females varied from 16% to 87% among U.S. sites and from 33% to 71% in Italy. We also found infected haploid and diploid males, indicating that this is not a male-killing Wolbachia infection. Our data show that infected individuals from New York, Massachusetts, and Italy carry the same Wolbachia strain, and that some mtDNA haplotypes include both infected and …


Diploid Males And Their Triploid Offspring In The Paper Wasp Polistes Dominulus, Aviva Liebert, Annagiri Sumana, Philip Starks Feb 2013

Diploid Males And Their Triploid Offspring In The Paper Wasp Polistes Dominulus, Aviva Liebert, Annagiri Sumana, Philip Starks

Aviva E Liebert

Although the hymenopteran sex-determining mechanism generally results in haploid males and diploid females, diploid males can be produced via homozygosity at the sex-determining locus. Diploid males have low fitness because they are effectively sterile or produce presumably sterile triploid offspring. Previously, triploid females were observed in three species of North American Polistes paper wasps, and this was interpreted as indirect evidence of diploid males. Here we report what is, to our knowledge, the first direct evidence: four of five early male-producing Polistes dominulus nests from three populations contained diploid males. Because haploid males were also found, however, the adaptive value …


Strand Exchange Protein 1 (Sep1) From Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Does Not Promote Branch Migration In Vitro, Zhaoqing Zhang, Amanda Simons, Vidya Prabhu, Junghuei Chen Feb 2013

Strand Exchange Protein 1 (Sep1) From Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Does Not Promote Branch Migration In Vitro, Zhaoqing Zhang, Amanda Simons, Vidya Prabhu, Junghuei Chen

Amanda Simons

It has been shown in vitro that Saccharomyces cerevisiae strand exchange protein 1 (Sep1) promotes the transfer of one strand of a linear duplex DNA to a homologous single-stranded DNA circle. Sep1 also has an exonuclease active on DNA and RNA. By using exonuclease III-treated linear duplex DNA with various lengths of single-stranded tail as well as Ca2+ to inhibit the exonuclease activity of Sep1, we show that the processivity of exonuclease activity of Sep1 is greater than previously reported. The results in this work also demonstrate that the joint molecule between the linear duplex and single-stranded circle observed from …


Brca1 Dna-Binding Activity Is Stimulated By Bard1, Amanda Simons, Andrew Horwitz, Lea Starita, Karen Griffin, R Williams, J.N. Glover, Jeffrey Parvin Feb 2013

Brca1 Dna-Binding Activity Is Stimulated By Bard1, Amanda Simons, Andrew Horwitz, Lea Starita, Karen Griffin, R Williams, J.N. Glover, Jeffrey Parvin

Amanda Simons

The breast- and ovarian-specific tumor suppressor BRCA1 has been implicated in numerous cellular processes, including transcription, ubiquitination, and DNA repair. Its tumor suppression activity is tightly linked to that of BARD1, a protein that heterodimerizes with BRCA1. It has been previously shown that BRCA1 binds to DNA, an interesting functional observation in light of the genetic data linking BRCA1 to DNA repair pathways. In this work, we reexamine the DNA-binding properties of BRCA1, comparing them with the DNA-binding properties of the BRCA1/BARD1 heterodimer. Because nuclear BRCA1 exists as a heterodimer with BARD1, it is likely that in vitro studies of …


Direct Dna Binding Activity Of The Fanconi Anemia D2 Protein, Woo-Hyun Park, Steven Margossian, Andrew Horwitz, Amanda Simons, Alan D'Andrea, Jeffrey Parvin Feb 2013

Direct Dna Binding Activity Of The Fanconi Anemia D2 Protein, Woo-Hyun Park, Steven Margossian, Andrew Horwitz, Amanda Simons, Alan D'Andrea, Jeffrey Parvin

Amanda Simons

It is known that the Fanconi anemia D2 protein is vital for protecting the genome from DNA damage, but what activities this protein has are unknown. In these experiments we purified full-length Fanconi anemia protein D2 (FANCD2), and we found that FANCD2 bound to DNA with specificity for certain structures: double strand DNA ends and Holliday junctions. Proteins containing patient-derived mutations or artificial variants of the FANCD2 protein were similarly expressed and purified, and each variant bound to the Holliday junction DNA with similar affinity as did the wild-type protein. There was no single discrete domain of FANCD2 protein that …


Ground Nesting In The Paper Wasp Polistes Aurifer (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), Aviva Liebert Feb 2013

Ground Nesting In The Paper Wasp Polistes Aurifer (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), Aviva Liebert

Aviva E Liebert

Polistes paper wasp species vary in their nest site selection, with some nesting in relatively exposed areas and others in protected cavities. Locating the nest sites of cavity dwelling species in natural habitat can prove difficult, and most behavioral studies on these species are therefore conducted using human-built structures. Since Hungerford and Williams (1912) and Rau (1929) noted the location of several P. fuscatus (Fabricius) nests in rodent burrows, there have been no published accounts of ground nesting Polistes species. I report the occurrence of a large, dense cluster of P. aurifer (Saussure) nests located within cracks in the dried …


P53 Blocks Ruvab Promoted Branch Migration And Modulates Resolution Of Holliday Junctions By Ruvc1, Vidya Prabhu, Amanda Simons, Hiroshi Iwasaki, Dahai Gai, Daniel Simmons, Junghuei Chen Feb 2013

P53 Blocks Ruvab Promoted Branch Migration And Modulates Resolution Of Holliday Junctions By Ruvc1, Vidya Prabhu, Amanda Simons, Hiroshi Iwasaki, Dahai Gai, Daniel Simmons, Junghuei Chen

Amanda Simons

The Holliday junction is the central intermediate in homologous recombination. Branch migration of this four-stranded DNA structure is a key step in genetic recombination that affects the extent of genetic information exchanged between two parental DNA molecules. Here, we have constructed synthetic Holliday junctions to test the effects of p53 on both spontaneous and RuvAB promoted branch migration as well as the effect on resolution of the junction by RuvC. We demonstrate that p53 blocks branch migration, and that cleavage of the Holliday junction by RuvC is modulated by p53. These findings suggest that p53 can block branch migration promoted …


Recombinant Expression Of Indolicidin Concatemers In Escherichia Coli, K Morin, S Arcidiacono, Richard Beckwitt, C Mello Feb 2013

Recombinant Expression Of Indolicidin Concatemers In Escherichia Coli, K Morin, S Arcidiacono, Richard Beckwitt, C Mello

Richard D Beckwitt

Antimicrobial peptides are part of the innate immune system of vertebrates and invertebrates. They are active against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Currently, most antimicrobial peptides are extracted from host organisms or produced by solidphase peptide synthesis. Recombinant protein expression in Escherichia coli is a tool for greater production yields at a decreased cost and reduces the use of hazardous materials. We have constructed a concatamer of indolicidin and successfully expressed a fusion product with thioredoxin in E. coli BL21DE3. Codons for methionine residues flanking individual indolicidin genes were incorporated for cyanogen bromide cleavage of the fusion protein …


Phylogeny And Historical Biogeography Of The Spider Genus Lutica (Araneae, Zodariidae), Richard Beckwitt, Richard Beckwitt Feb 2013

Phylogeny And Historical Biogeography Of The Spider Genus Lutica (Araneae, Zodariidae), Richard Beckwitt, Richard Beckwitt

Richard D Beckwitt

Spiders of the genus Lutica from 19 populations in southern California and Baja California, including all the California Channel Islands except Anacapa, were compared electrophoretically on the basis of variability at 15 gene loci. Fixed allelic differences clearly define two species: new species A [Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, northern Channel Islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz), southern Channel Islands (San Nicolas, Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina)] and new species C [Guerrero Negro, central Baja California], while morphological features define two others: new species B [Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties, northern Baja California] and clementea [San Clemente Island]. …


Developmental Increase In 3h-Muscimol Binding To The Γ-Aminobutyric Acida Receptor In Hypothalamic And Limbic Areas Of The Rat: Why Is The Ventromedial Nucleus Of The Hypothalamus An Exception?, Aline Davis, Margaret Mccarthy Feb 2013

Developmental Increase In 3h-Muscimol Binding To The Γ-Aminobutyric Acida Receptor In Hypothalamic And Limbic Areas Of The Rat: Why Is The Ventromedial Nucleus Of The Hypothalamus An Exception?, Aline Davis, Margaret Mccarthy

Aline Davis

Using in vitro autoradiography to measure binding of the γ-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptor agonist, muscimol, we examined male and female rats on postnatal days 1, 5, 10, and 20. There were no sex differences in muscimol binding in any hypothalamic or limbic regions examined. However, all regions exhibited a developmental increase in the density of binding, except the ventromedial nucleus (VMN) of the hypothalamus. We have previously shown that the adult VMN is the only hypothalamic nucleus containing an abundance of the α2 subunit of the GABAA receptor and lack of the α1 subunit. We hypothesize that the lack of …