Karen Bales

Karen Bales

Position Title
Professor

  • Psychology, College of Letters and Science
Bio

The role of endocannabinoids in social behavior in prairie voles

Social bonds are critical to our well-being. While my laboratory primarily focuses on oxytocin as a hormone underlying the neurobiology of social bonds, oxytocin interacts with the endocannabinoid system. Former graduate student, Dr. Trent Simmons, showed that CB1 agonism in socially monogamous prairie voles altered social behavior towards partners and strangers.