Campus Hosts Krieger School of Arts & Sciences Dean Greg Ball
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| Dean Ball (right) talks with Ken Carter, President and CEO, Avalon Pharmaceuticals |
With a research focus that includes studying estrogen in quail brains, you could say that Dr. Greg Ball, Dean of Research and Graduate Education, JHU Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, gives new meaning to the phrase “the birds and the bees.”
He shared his insight into the “birds” recently with a talk titled “Is brain estradiol a neurotransmitter?: New views about estrogen action in the brain” that he presented to more than 20 Montgomery County-based scientists and researchers as part of the campus’ Executive Lunch series.
His talk focused on his research into whether estrogen, a hormone critical to a woman’s sexual development, should also be thought of as a neurotransmitter when acting in the brain. His research studying estradiol (a form of estrogen) in the brains of quail suggested that estrogen in its role as a neurotransmitter, or brain signaling chemical, helps to regulate male sexual activity.
Ball said labeling estrogen a neurotransmitter, when it’s generally thought of as a hormone, influences the way in which scientists approach their research and the way they design clinical interventions that involve actions of estrogen in the brain.
“Dr. Ball’s talk was extremely interesting,” said Devinder Poonian, President and CEO, DP Clinical. “It was a real treat to get to hear from him. I look forward to future Executive Lunches featuring other Hopkins researchers.” |
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