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Funded Projects

Effects of Puberty Blockade on Behavior, Brain and Reproductive Physiology in an Animal Model

Awarded in 2023
Collaborative Health Sciences Program
Updated Nov 13, 2023

At a Glance

This project explores the effects of puberty blockers and exogenously administered reproductive hormones on rats to better understand their impact on behavior, brain development and reproductive physiology.

Project Goals

The key objectives of this project include:

  1. Assessing the Long-Term Effects: Researchers are evaluating how short-term pubertal leuprolide treatment influences the brain, behavior and peripheral physiology in prepubertal male and female rats. This includes monitoring changes in anxiety-like behavior, stress responses, reproductive puberty changes, fertility, bone density and blood biomarkers.
  2. Examining Brain and Organ Maturation: The study also investigates the effects of pubertal leuprolide treatment followed by hormone therapy (administration of testosterone to female rats or estrogen to male rats) on brain development, peripheral organ maturation and behavior in rats. This models the process of gender-affirming hormone treatment in humans.
  3. Assessing multi-system developmental processes: This research seeks to assess the impact of puberty blockade and reproductive hormone treatment on anxiety, sex-typical behavioral development, organ maturation, musculoskeletal development and reproductive and fertility monitoring in rats. It aims to contribute to broader knowledge about physiological systems affected and unaffected by these treatments.

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Year Awarded: 2023
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Year Awarded: 2023
This project, titled Non-Invasive Ultrasound Urodynamics to Improve Medical Care for Men with Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (LUTS) in Rural Areas, aims to develop a method to evaluate LUTS using modalities that are currently available in every urology practice. LUTS include increased urinary frequency, urgency and diminished stream which can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life and lead to various medical complications such as urinary retention, infection and renal failure. Multichannel urodynamics (MCUD) has been used to make an accurate diagnosis and distinguish between prostate obstruction and bladder dysfunction. However, the limited availability of MCUD at large medical centers has resulted in men, especially those in rural areas, receiving empirical treatment without accurate diagnostic testing, leading to delays in effective treatment or undergoing unnecessary surgeries.