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Melissa Holmes is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her overarching research focuses on understanding the relationship between adult neural plasticity and social status. She utilizes naked mole-rats, which are known for their complex social structures, to explore these questions, particularly their rigid reproductive hierarchies where a single breeding female and a few dominant males reproduce while the remaining individuals remain non-reproductive as subordinates. This social organization reveals valuable insights into the neuroendocrine mechanisms that influence social status and reproductive suppression, as well as the significant long-term plasticity mediated by social environments. The research program conducted by Holmes encompasses multiple interrelated avenues, contributing to a greater understanding of how social factors shape brain function and behavior in adulthood. She is particularly interested in individual differences in social phenotypes and examines how changes in social status can affect adult neurogenesis.
Department of Sociology