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| Department of Physiology and Pharmacology John M. Connors Associate Professor of Physiology Ph.D., University of Illinois at the Medical Center, Chicago, 1977 Postdoctoral Fellowships: University of Arizona; West Virginia University Phone: 304-293-1511 Email: jconnors@hsc.wvu.edu Research Interests Neuroendocrine control of the hypothalamus-pituitary thyroid axis and the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis; mechanisms responsible for seasonal reproductive function. Description of Research Currently, my primary research interest is the role of thyroid hormones in the functional and anatomical alterations that underlie seasonal reproductive activities in sheep. A key neural circuit that is involved in the inhibition of hypothalamic GnRH secretion is activated in the non-breeding season, but not in the breeding season. It appears that thyroid hormone is required to establish and/or activate this circuit at the onset of the non-breeding season, but not for the loss of inhibition with the onset of the breeding season. A wide variety of surgical (e.g., ovariectomy; thyroidectomy), as well as, neurosurgical (e.g., administration of drugs to selected areas of the brain; neuaral tract tracing) are utilized. Recent Publications Connors, John M., 1997 Physiology of the thyroid gland and agents affecting its secretion, In: Thomas, J.A. and Colby, H.D. (eds.), Endocrine Toxicology, Taylor and Francis, Washington, D.C., pp. 43-68. |
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