Hello! My name is Albatool (Toola) Alkhazal. I am an undergraduate student at UC Davis, studying Neurobiology and Psychology. I have been working as a research assistant on the seahorse & vole side since fall of 2021 and it has been a wonderful journey ever since!
My duties as a research assistant include helping with behavioral tests, tissue collection, colony management, and training new lab personnel. I am currently working on my project that investigates the changes in cilia-related genes in targeted areas of the brain, with a particular focus on the nucleus accumbens, as a result of pair bonding in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). My time as a research assistant was extremely fulfilling, as I gained a deeper understanding and appreciation of animal behavior.
Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking, reading, spooking people with my tarot cards, and playing poker with my friends I love to connect with people, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Recent Publications
Relationships between cortisol and urinary androgens in female titi monkeys (Plecturocebus cupreus). Gen Comp Endocrinol. 2021
Parenting costs time: Changes in pair bond maintenance across pregnancy and infant rearing in a monogamous primate (Plecturocebus cupreus). New Dir Child Adolesc Dev. 2021
What is a pair bond? Horm Behav. 2021
Compositional variation in early-life parenting structures alters oxytocin and vasopressin 1a receptor development in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). J Neuroendocrinol. 2021
Biobehavioral organization shapes the immune epigenome in infant rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta). Brain Behav Immun. 2021
Cannabinoid receptor Type 1 densities reflect social organization in Microtus. J Comp Neurol. 2021
Pharmacological Prevention of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal in a Pregnant Guinea Pig Model. Front Pharmacol. 2021