The broad goal of our research is to understand mechanisms by which estrogens and androgens impact areas of the brain important for cognition. Current work in the lab is focused on the impact of these hormones on the brain and cognition across the lifespan, from early in development during which they help organize mammalian brains as male or female to later in life during which changes in their levels impact the aging brain and risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Research is conducted in rodent models and experimental approaches used in the lab include behavioral analyses, biochemical and molecular assays, and viral-vector mediated and pharmacological neural manipulations.