Molecular & Cellular Basis of Social Behavior in Vertebrates

Advances in Comparative and Environmental Physiology #3

by Jacques Balthazart

Understanding the brain mechanisms which underlie behavior is one of the most challenging tasks of modern biology. The study of these mechanisms can be approached using a variety of biological systems as models, depending essentially on the type of question being asked and the technical approach which is considered. In vertebrates, the study of brain neurochemistry in relation to behavior e,xpression has made tremendous progress during the last two decades. In particular, much at­ tention has been devoted to the effect of steroid hormones on brain structure and activity in connection with social and mainly reproductive behavior. This book exemplifies some of the major trends in the field. I did not attempt to cover exhaustively all the work that has been done in this area but rather to present a series of selected reviews on the molec­ ular and cellular brain mechanisms most directly related to social behavior. This selection obviously reflects my own interests but also, I believe, highlights those areas of research in which important progress has been made in recent years. A number of brain biochemical or cellular mechanisms which could be related to behavior, but have not been formally demonstrated to be so, are consequently ignored. The focus here is on social behavior and thus steroid-dependent processes are covered in priority. This choice of course leads us to ignore major trends in brain and behavior research but this is, I hope, clearly reflected in the title of the volume.

356 pages, Hardcover

First published December 16, 1988

About the author

Jacques Balthazart obtained his PhD in Sciences from the University of Liege in 1978 and was then for one year a post-doctoral fellow at Rutgers University in Newark, N.J, where he worked under the leadership of Professor Mei Fang Cheng.[2] He was Adjunct Faculty at Rockefeller University in 1987-1989 and has since organized and developed a research group in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology at the University of Liege where he has continuously worked from 1979 till now. His publications on Researchgate reach the score of 7084 downloads, 14529 citations et 29.788 views.,[3] and his score on Google Scholar reaches 17 355 quotations, which ranks him in the top 1% of the scientists category.[4]

He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology[5] published by Elsevier and one of the three Editors of the Oxford Series in Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, a collection of books published by Oxford University Press. He is member of the Editorial Board of several journals including Hormones and Behavior[6] (Elsevier), Acta Ethologica[7] (Springer), Ethology Ecology and Evolution and the Belgian Journal of Zoology.[8]

He is Honorary Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union. He is an active member of multiple scientific societies including the Society for Neuroscience, the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology of which he has been president in 2003-2005) , The Endocrine Society, la Société Européenne des Neurosciences, la Society for Animal Behavior.

Research Edit
Research by Jacques Balthazart and his group addresses various topics in behavioral neuroendocrinology but focuses mostly on the sexual differentiation of brain and behavior and on the role of brain aromatase (estrogen synthase) in the activation of male sexual behavior. Several of these topics were covered in more detail in the scientific magazine of the University of Liege called Reflexion. This web site namely contains a detailed description in French and in English of his research concerning :

The rapid changes in brain aromatase activity and the rapid effects of estrogens on sexual behavior;[9]
The important steroid-dependent brain plasticity observed in song birds,[10]
The role of olfaction in the control of avian reproduction.[11]
His publications can also be found in the repository of the University of Liege called ORBI.[12]

He published in 2010 a book in French entitled Biologie de l'homosexualité. On nait homosexuel, on ne choisit pas de l'être[13] summarizing the current knowledge on the biological mechanisms that control sexual orientation in animals and humans. This book has been often discussed and reviewed as scientifical attempt to reduce the gap between the American and English approach in neurobiology on the subject of homosexuality, and the south-European vision which is more based on psychology and psycho-analysis. Radio channels like France Culture have organized debates over this change or perspective[14] Newspapers like Le Monde,[15] the Nouvel Observateur[16] have extensively commented his works, and a 50 minutes TV documentary, produced by Mona Lisa Corp, titled Homo ou hétéro, est-ce un choix ?,[17] by Thierry Berrod, has beed aired on French national channel France 3 that has given a large audience to his theories,[18] after being featured in Belgium on national TV RTBF in November 2014.[19] Spain[20] and Italy[21] have reacted as well, following the English translation by Oxford University Press. A shorter presentation of the scientific data including an overview on sex differences is also available in English as a paper or ebook (cf."Brain development and Sexual orientation", see full references in the list below). A summary of these facts is also presented in the Reflexions Web site of the University of Liege. This book also supports the scientific argument developed in Christian Combaz' historical and sociological essay Les âmes douces[22] in which Jacques Balthazart is often quoted as a scientific counsel