Shakeera Walker, Ph.D.

On Research

I am a Behavioral Neuroscientist interested in how early-life adversity leads to lasting changes in social behaviors in adulthood, and how the stress response system and neuroimmune function may mediate this relationship. My doctoral research used a rodent model to examine the effects of paternal neglect in Peromyscus californicus (California mice), a monogamous species in which both parents work together to rear their offspring. In California mice, when the father is absent, offspring receive less overall parental care, as the mother does not increase her caregiving to compensate for his absence. My research showed that paternal deprivation (i.e., the permanent separation of the father from the litter during the neonatal period) had a more pronounced effect in adult female offspring than in males. Paternally-deprived females showed persistent social anxiety-like behavior and altered corticosterone response to acute stress, while males exhibited changes in central proinflammatory cytokine responses. Also, my research showed that males and females exhibited different risk assessment strategies during novel social encounters, with neuroimmune suppression observed only in adult females following paternal absence. My research highlights the importance of considering sex differences and social context when investigating how early-life experiences shape behavioral and neurobiological outcomes in rodent models.