Rikki S Laser

NSF Graduate Research Fellow

BA (2020) University of Iowa

Email: rsl249@cornell.edu

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Research Interests: Development, social behavior, neurobiology, neuroethology

Specific Interests: I am interested the development of the brain and behavior, especially in the sensory systems. Currently, I am studying how temperature impacts maternal and paternal care and early development. My projects include examining how family structure (biparental versus uniparental parenting) affects neonatal huddling behavior and family thermal preferences.

Undergrads	Date Joined
Ben Dever-Mendenhall	2021-Present
Shania Cabrera	2021-Present
Katlyn Loder	2021-Present
Krinal Thakkar	2021-2022
Rachel Katz	2021-2022

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.

Ophir Lab

Integrative Neuroethology Lab

Rikki S Laser