Jill M. Daniel
Gary P. Dohanich Professor in Brain Science, Director of the Tulane Brain Institute
Areas of Expertise
Biography
The broad goal of Dr. Daniel’s 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. Research is conducted in rodent models and experimental approaches used in the lab include behavioral analyses as well as biochemical and molecular assays.
Education
Tulane University
Articles
Neuroestrogen-dependent transcriptional activity in the brains of ERE-Luciferase reporter mice following short-and long-term ovariectomy
2019
Previous work has demonstrated that estrogen receptors are transcriptionally active in the absence of ovarian estrogens. The current work aims to determine whether brain-derived estrogens influence estrogen receptor-dependent transcription after short- or long-term loss of ovarian function. Experiments were conducted using estrogen response element (ERE)-Luciferase reporter mice, which express the gene for luciferase driven by consensus ERE, allowing for the quantification of ERE-dependent transcription.
Nuclear estrogen receptor activation by insulin-like growth factor-1 in Neuro-2A neuroblastoma cells requires endogenous estrogen synthesis and is mediated by mutually repressive MAPK and PI3K
2019
Non-canonical mechanisms of estrogen receptor activation may continue to support women's cognitive health long after cessation of ovarian function. These mechanisms of estrogen receptor activation may include ligand-dependent actions via locally synthesized neuroestrogens and ligand-independent actions via growth factor-dependent activation of intracellular kinase cascades.
Pubertal hormones mediate sex differences in levels of myelin basic protein in the orbitofrontal cortex of adult rats
2019
Previous work from our lab revealed that adult female rats have increased levels of myelin basic protein (MBP), a marker for myelination, in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as compared to adult males. The goal of the present study was to determine the role of gonadal hormones, acting either in adulthood or at puberty, in the development of an adult sex difference in OFC levels of MBP.
