Tomica D. Blocker

BSc (2008), Langston University

PhD (2015), Oklahoma State University

NSF Graduate Research Fellow

NSF OK-LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Fellow

Currently: MD (Pediatrics), University of Kansas

Research Interests:

Effects of anthropogenic stressors on animals; Ecotoxicology, Neuroendocrinology, Ethology

Specific Interests:

My research is focused on the relationship between anthropogenic contaminants and behavior. More specifically, I am interested in the effects of heavy metals on affiliative and aggressive behaviors in the monogamous rodent Microtus ochrogaster.

Papers (from the lab):

Blocker TD, Ophir AG (2016) A preference to bond? Male prairie voles form pair bonds even in the presence of multiple receptive females. Animal Behaviour. 22, 89-97.

Blocker TD & Ophir AG (2015) Social recognition in paired, but not single, male prairie voles. Animal Behaviour. 108, 1-8 . [Highlighted by: National Geographic, and Science News]

Blocker TD & Ophir AG (2013) Cryptic confounding compounds: A brief consideration of the influences of anthropogenic contaminants on courtship and mating behavior. Acta Ethologica. 16, 105-125. [One of the 10 most downloaded papers in 2013]

Undergrads	Date Joined
Forrest Rogers	2011-2013 (PhD, Univ California, Davis)
Tara Elliot	2012 (MS, Oklahoma State Univ)
Holly Wehde	2012 (MS, Oklahoma State Univ)
Mino Aketa (OK INBRE – IDeA)	2011
Brittany Stoutermire (LINC – LU – NSF)	2012
Kasi Gordon	2009-2010

Sailer LL, Finton CJ, Patel PP, Bogdanowicz SM, Ophir AG (2024) Dorsal CA1 lesions of the hippocampus impact mating tactics in prairie voles by shifting non-monogamous males’ use of space to resemble monogamous males. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 18,1355807 (Sailer and Finton share 1^st authorship)

Elson MR, Prior NH, Ophir AG (2024) Neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying reproductive decision making across taxa. In: Neuroendocrinology of Behavior and Emotions. (eds: Caldwell HK, Albers HE). Switzerland: Springer Nature. in press. (Prior and Ophir share last authorship).

Forero SA, Ophir AG (2023) Bonding against the odds: Male prairie vole response to the “widow effect” among females. Behavioural Processes. 213, 104968.

Haghani A, Li, CZ, Robeck, TR, Zhang J, Lu AT, et al. … Ophir AG … Sailer LL … Horvath S (2023) DNA methylation networks underlying mammalian traits. Science. 381, eabq5693.

Lu AT, Fei Z, Haghani A, Robeck TR, Zoller JA, et al. … Ophir AG … Sailer LL … Horvath S (2023) Universal DNA methylation age across mammalian tissues. Nature Aging. 3, 1144-1166.

Hiura LC, Lazaro VA, Ophir AG (2023) Plasticity in parental behavior and vasopressin: Responses to co-parenting, pup age, and an acute stressor are experience-dependent. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience. 17, 1172845.

Wallace KJ, Chun EK, Manns JR, Ophir AG, Kelly AM (2023) A test of the social behavior network reveals differential patterns of neural responses to social novelty in bonded, but not non-bonded, male prairie voles. Hormones and Behavior. 152, 105362. (Wallace and Chun share 1^st authorship; Ophir and Kelly share last authorship)

Forero SA, Sailer LL, Girčytė A, Madrid JE, Sullivan N, Ophir AG (2023) Motherhood and DREADD manipulation of the nucleus accumbens weaken established pair bonds in female prairie voles. Hormones and Behavior. 151, 105351.

Freeman AR, Lee DN, Allen JJ, Blank B, Jeffery D, Lerer A, Singh B, Southard T, Cheong SH, Ophir AG (2023) Extreme plasticity of reproductive state in a female rodent. Current Biology. 33, R203-R218.

Wu W-Y, Yiu E, Ophir AG, Smith DM (2023) Effects of social context manipulation on dorsal and ventral hippocampal neuronal responses. Hippocampus. 33, 830-843.