Kelli A. Duncan

Assistant Professor of Biology

B.S.A., Biological Science, The University of Georgia 
M.S., Biology, Georgia State University
Ph.D., Biology (Neuroscience and Behavior), Georgia State University
Post-doctoral Fellow, Biological Sciences, Lehigh University

Research Interest
Traumatic Brain Injury and Steroid Hormones

I consider myself to be a behavioral neuroendocrinologist, that’s the short
way of saying that I am interested in how the brain interacts with hormones to
alter itself and behavior. My lab examines the role of the endocrine system
following traumatic brain injury (TBI). There are a number of biological cascades
that occur following TBI. One such cascade involves the regulation of steroid
hormones and their receptors. Many of these hormones are neuroprotective and 
serve to protect the brain and mediate future damage.
Traumatic Brain Injury and the Developing Brain 
Previous research has shown that contrary to popular opinion, injury to the
juvenile brain has longer lasting and more detrimental effects than injury to the
adult brain. I plan to examine the role of steroid hormones on neuroprotection and
neuronal survival in the developing and adult brain; and to determine whether the
juvenile brain’s response to injury is similar to the adult response.
My work primarily focuses on using the Australian Zebra finch, a passerine
songbird, as my model system.

Teaching interest and Courses
I teach Introduction to Biological Investigation (Biol 106), Animal Physiology (Biol
228), and Hormones and Behavior (Biol 383). In these courses, we will work on
scientific writing and reading, in addition to achieving a thorough comprehension
of primary research articles.

I am also extremely interested in students looking to do neuroendocrine research
for either independent or senior research projects starting Fall 2012.

Publications
Sieglaff, DH., Duncan, KA., Brown, MR., Expression of genes encoding proteins
involved in ecdysteroidogenesis in the female mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Insect Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology 35, 470-490, 2005.

Duncan, KA and LL Carruth. 2007. Sexually Dimorphic Expression of L7/SPA, an
estrogen receptor coactivator, in the developing zebra finch brain. Develop.
Neurobiol. 67(14): 1852-1866.

Duncan KA, Jimenez P, Carruth LL. 2009. The selective estrogen alpha receptor
coactivator, RPL7, and sexual differentiation of the songbird brain.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 34 Suppl 1:S30-8

Saldanha CJ, Duncan KA, Walters BJ. 2009. Neuroprotective actions of brain
aromatase. Front Neuroendocrinol. 30 (2009): 106-118.

Duncan KA, Carruth LL. 2011. The song remains the same: coactivators and sex
differences in the songbird brain. Front Neuroendocrinol. 32(1):84-94.

Duncan KA, Jimenez P, Carruth LL. 2011. Distribution and sexually dimorphic
expression of steroid receptor coactivator-1 (SRC-1) in the zebra finch brain. Gen
Comp Endocrinol. Jan 15;170(2):408-14.

Duncan KA, Saldanha CJ. 2011. Neuroinflammation induces glial aromatase
expression in the uninjured songbird brain. J Neuroinflammation. Jul 18;8(1):81.