Marc Breedlove
Encyclopedia
Stephen Marc Breedlove is currently the Barnett Rosenberg
professor of Neuroscience
at Michigan State University
in East Lansing, Michigan
. He was born and raised in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri
. After graduating from Central High School (Springfield, Missouri)
in 1972, he earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology
from Yale University
in 1976, and a Ph.D. in Psychology
from UCLA in 1982. He was a professor of Psychology
at the University of California, Berkeley
from 1982 to 2003, moving to Michigan State in 2001. He works in the fields of Biological Psychology and Neuroendocrinology
. He is a member of the Society for Neuroscience
and the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology
, and a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science
(APS) and the Biological Sciences section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS).
and brain
. He also reported that the average digit ratio
of lesbians is more masculine than that of straight women, a finding that has been replicated in his and many other labsand which indicates that lesbians, on average, are exposed to more prenatal testosterone than are straight women. This finding joins many others that biological influences, such as prenatal testosterone and fraternal birth order, act before birth to affect the later unfolding of human sexual orientation. He has co-authored textbooks in Biological Psychology and Behavioral Neuroendocrinology.
Barnett Rosenberg
Barnett Rosenberg was an American chemist best known for the discovery of the anti-cancer drug cisplatin.Rosenberg graduated from Brooklyn College in 1948 and obtained his PhD in Physics at New York University in 1956...
professor of Neuroscience
Neuroscience
Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Traditionally, neuroscience has been seen as a branch of biology. However, it is currently an interdisciplinary science that collaborates with other fields such as chemistry, computer science, engineering, linguistics, mathematics,...
at Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
in East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
. He was born and raised in the Ozarks of southwestern Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. After graduating from Central High School (Springfield, Missouri)
Central High School (Springfield, Missouri)
Central High School is a high school located in downtown Springfield, Missouri. The school was built in 1893 as senior high school. The first graduating class was one of 41 students in 1894. The school was renamed Central High School after the construction of Springfield's second oldest high...
in 1972, he earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1976, and a Ph.D. in Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
from UCLA in 1982. He was a professor of Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
from 1982 to 2003, moving to Michigan State in 2001. He works in the fields of Biological Psychology and Neuroendocrinology
Neuroendocrinology
Neuroendocrinology is the study of the extensive interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system, including the biological features of the cells that participate, and how they functionally communicate...
. He is a member of the Society for Neuroscience
Society for Neuroscience
The Society for Neuroscience is a professional society, headquartered in Washington, D.C., for basic scientists and physicians around the world whose research is focused on the study of the brain and nervous system.-History:...
and the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology
Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology
The Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology is an interdisciplinary scientific organization dedicated to the study of hormonal processes and neuroendocrine systems that regulate behavior.- Publications :...
, and a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science
Association for Psychological Science
The Association for Psychological Science , previously the American Psychological Society, is a non-profit international organization whose mission is to promote, protect, and advance the interests of scientifically oriented psychology in research, application, teaching, and the improvement of...
(APS) and the Biological Sciences section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
(AAAS).
Research
In numerous papers, he has demonstrated that steroid hormones and sexual behavior affect the developing and adult spinal cordSpinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the brain . The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system...
and brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
. He also reported that the average digit ratio
Digit ratio
The digit ratio is the ratio of the lengths of different digits or fingers typically measured from the bottom crease where the finger joins the hand to the tip of the finger. It has been suggested by some scientists that the ratio of two digits in particular, the 2nd and 4th , is affected by...
of lesbians is more masculine than that of straight women, a finding that has been replicated in his and many other labsand which indicates that lesbians, on average, are exposed to more prenatal testosterone than are straight women. This finding joins many others that biological influences, such as prenatal testosterone and fraternal birth order, act before birth to affect the later unfolding of human sexual orientation. He has co-authored textbooks in Biological Psychology and Behavioral Neuroendocrinology.
See also
- Biology and sexual orientationBiology and sexual orientationBiology and sexual orientation is the subject of research into the role of biology in the development of human sexual orientation. No simple, single cause for sexual orientation has been conclusively demonstrated, but research suggests that it is by a combination of genetic, hormonal, and...
- Prenatal hormones and sexual orientationPrenatal hormones and sexual orientationThe hormonal theory of sexuality holds that, just as exposure to certain hormones plays a role in fetal sex differentiation, such exposure also influences the sexual orientation that emerges later in the adult...
- Sexual orientationSexual orientationSexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
External links
- The Breedlove Jordan Lab Lab home page
- PDF files of selected papers
- PubMed listing of scientific papers
- Biological Psychology Textbook co-author
- Biological Psychology Links Web page editor
- Behavioral Endocrinology Textbook co-author
- Summer School of Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Co-Founder
- Neuroscience Program at MSU
- The Science of Sexual Orientation (60 Minutes)
- Interview on biology of sexual orientation in the Washington Post
- Author profile on Amazon
- Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology
- Society for Neuroscience