Research Expertise and Interest

hormones and behavior, neuroendocrinology of reproduction

Research Description

Birds, seasonal breeding, behavioral neuroendocrinology, reproductive physiology, migration, song learning, immune function, melatonin, circadian rhythms, fieldwork.

George Bentley is interested in how the brain detects external cues and transduces them into hormonal and behavioral signals. One example of this is male bird song causing females of the same species to have higher concentrations of reproductive hormones and lay eggs sooner than if she hears no song.

His main research program involves study of newly-identified hormones that influence reproductive activity in all vertebrates, with an emphasis on songbirds. Other areas of interest are hormonal regulation of neuroplasticity, migration and immune function. The hormone melatonin appears to be integral to all of these aspects of avian physiology.