Matthew Cooper

Research statement

The laboratory aims to understand the social, neuroendocrine, and neurochemical mechanisms regulating dominant/subordinate relationships. Projects in the lab are intended to provide valuable information on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying stress-related psychopathologies. One line of research investigates stress-induced changes in behavior using a social defeat model in Syrian hamsters. At present, I am investigating changes in the serotonin and corticotropin-releasing hormone systems in several brain regions following social defeat. The lab employs a multidisciplinary approach and we use a variety of techniques including behavioral observation, stereotaxic surgery, microinfusion of pharmacological agents, immunohistochemistry, receptor autoradiography, and in situ hybridization. Another line of research involves field studies in India on Assamese, rhesus, and bonnet macaques. Projects on non-human primates investigate species and habitat differences in affiliation, aggression, and reconciliation from a socioecological perspective. Studies on post-conflict behavior examine the role of anxiety-related behavior in mediating differential rates of reconciliation.

Grants

• Mechanisms of stress-induced changes in behavior. National Institute of Mental Health, National Research Service Award. Grant number: MH072085. Period: 9/2004 – 12/2006.
  

Selected Publications

Cooper, M.A. and Huhman, K.L. (2007). Corticotropin-releasing factor receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus modulate social behavior in Syrian hamsters. Psychopharmacology, 194:297-307.

Johnson, E.C., Hill, E. and Cooper, M.A. (2007). Vomiting in wild bonnet macaques. International Journal of Primatology, 28:245-256.
           
Cooper, M.A., Aureli, F. and Singh, M. (2007). Sex differences in reconciliation and post-conflict anxiety in bonnet macaques. Ethology,113:26-38.

Demas, G.E., Cooper, M.A., Albers, H.E. and Soma, K.K. (2007). Novel mechanisms underlying neuroendocrine regulation of aggression: A synthesis of rodent, avian, and primate studies. In: Handbook of Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology: Behavioral Neurochemistry, Neuroendocrinology and Molecular Neurobiology. Blaustein, J.D. (Ed), Plenum Press, New York. p. 337-372.

Demas, G.E., Cooper, M.A., Albers, H.E. & Soma, K.K. (2006). Novel mechanisms underlying neuroendocrine regulation of aggression: A synthesis of rodent, avian, and primate studies. In: Handbook of Neurochemistry and Molecular Neurobiology, Volume 21: Behavioral Neurochemistry and Neuroendocrinology. Blaustein, J.D. (ed), Springer, New York.

Singh, M., Kumara, H.N., Kumar, M.A., Singh, M. & Cooper, M.A. (2006). Male influx, infanticide and female transfer in Macaca radiata radiata. International Journal of Primatology, 27, 515-528.

Cooper, M.A., Bernstein, I.S. & Hemelrijk, C.K. (2005). Reconciliation and relationship quality in Assamese macaques. American Journal of Primatology, 65, 269-282.

Cooper, M.A. & Huhman, K.L. (2005). Corticotropin-releasing factor type II (CRH2) receptors in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis modulate conditioned defeat in Syrian hamsters. Behavioral Neuroscience, 119, 1042-1051.

Cooper, M.A., Huhman, K.L., Karom, M. & Albers, H.E. (2005). Repeated agonistic encounters in hamsters modulate AVP V1a receptor binding. Hormones and Behavior, 48, 545-551.

Cooper, M.A., Aureli, F. & Singh, M. (2004). Between-group encounters among bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 56, 217-227.

Cooper, M.A., Chiatra, M.S. & Singh, M. (2004). The effect of dominance, reproductive state, and group size on body mass in bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata). International Journal of Primatology, 25, 165-178.

Jasnow, A.M., Cooper, M.A. & Huhman, K.L. (2004). N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the amygdala are necessary for the acquisition and expression of conditioned defeat. Neuroscience, 123, 625-634.

Cooper, M.A. & Bernstein, I.S. (2002). Counter aggression and reconciliation in Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis). American Journal of Primatology, 56, 215-230.

Cooper, M.A., Bernstein, I.S., Fragaszy, D.M. and de Waal, F.B.M. (2001). Integration of new males into four social groups of tufted capuchins (Cebus apella). International Journal of Primatology, 22, 663-683.

Cooper, M.A. & Bernstein, I.S. (2000). Social grooming in Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis). American Journal of Primatology, 50, 77-85.

Matthew Cooper

Assistant Professor
Ph.D., University of Georgia (1999)

Email: mcooper@utk.edu

Key words: Behavioral neuroscience, aggression, dominance, social defeat, stress