Santiago Forero

PhD Student

BS (2017), Texas A&M University

NSF Graduate Research Fellow

Email: saf266@cornell.edu

Research Interests:

Neuroethology, Evolutionary Neuroscience, Social Behavior, Mate choice, Neurogenetic Manipulation, Early life cognitive development.

Specific Interests:

I am interested in how early life social experiences, genetics, and environmental factors shape the animal brain. By looking at the neural and genetic bases of how evolution has shaped animal behavior, I look to provide a means of defining the mechanisms of brain development and linking behavior to neural networks. By objectively studying natural behaviors of animals and identifying the neural mechanisms involved, I hope to begin to develop a greater understanding for their evolutionary ontogeny and their necessity for adaptation. In the lab, I look to identify brain development being translated into cognitive function. Using behavioral assays, I hope to create abnormal behaviors that give me a chance to explore consequential abnormalities in the brain. In order to regulate these abnormalities, I will be exploring neuroendocrinological methods as well as neurogenetic manipulation techniques.

Papers (from the lab):

Forero SA, Ophir AG (2022) Multi-level effects driving cognitive and behavioral variability among prairie voles: Insights into reproductive decision-making from biological levels of organization. Brain, Behavior, and Evolution. DOI: 10.1159/000522109.

Undergrads	Date Joined
Sydney Liu	2021-2022
Nicole Sullivan	2019-2022
Pedro Guicardi	2019-2020
Aiste Gircyte	Spring 2020 (from Newcastle University, UK)


Teaching 5th graders about the brain	Hands on with middle school kids

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.