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Dr Alison J Douglas Reader Neuroendocrinology, Centre for Integrative Physiology, SBMS Hugh Robson Building George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9XD Tel: +44(0)131 650 3274 Email: alison.j.douglas@ed.ac.uk

• Click here for further details on an easily printed single page (updated February 2009)

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Personal Profile

• BSc (Hons) in Physiology (2,1), Queen's University of Belfast, 1983
• PhD Department of Physiology, Queen's University of Belfast, 1986
• Professional Certificate in University Teaching, University of Edinburgh, 2004
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the University of Edinburgh on AFRC (BBSRC), Wellcome and SHHD grants, 1986-1994
• Partner in EU 6th Framework Network of Excellence on Embryo Implantation Control (EMBIC)

Research

My group has a multidisciplinary approach to investigating the control of neuroendocrine neurones and their important roles through various aspects of reproduction:

• Neural inputs to oxytocin neurones that participate in reproductive behaviours, especially mating and copulatory behaviours, which optimise their specific role at that time. For example, the interaction between well known factors facilitating sexual behaviour, such as dopamine, and oxytocin. In particular we are interested in how neuromodulators released in the hypothalamus during eating, such as aMSH, facilitate oxytocin neurone activation and sexual arousal.

• Adaptations of oxytocin neurones in pregnancy and the immediate preterm period that optimise their specific role at that time and precipitate parturition. We particularly study the contribution of uterine signals feeding back to the hypothalamus in signalling parturition-related events that may lead to auto-positive feedback between oxytocin neurones, unstoppable peripheral oxytocin secretion and therefore inappropriate preterm labour.

• The effect of stress on reproduction and adaptations of neuroendocrine neurone responses to stress. With integrated studies on neuronal activation and secretion mechanisms we investigate the role of stress in spontaneous abortion and parturition using established models, and the adaptations of hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis and autonomic responses during reproduction. High anxiety rat strains and abortion prone mouse strains are key models used.

Funding

• PI – The Wellcome Trust Project grant (2007-2010)
• PI – MRC Project grant (2008-2011)
• BBSRC Studentship (4 years)
• Society for Endocrinology Small Research Grant (1 year)
• Society for Endocrinology Summer Studentship (2008)

Team Members

PhDs

• Vickie Parker

Postdoctoral Research Fellows

• Dr Celine Caquineau
• Dr Vicky Tobin

Collaborations

• Professor Petra Arck, Charite, Humbold University, Berlin, Germany
• Professor Julia Szekeres Bartho, University of Pecs, Hungary
• Professor Krystyna Pierzchala-Koziec, Department of Animal Physiology, University of Agriculture, Cracow, Poland
• Professor Inga Neumann, University of Regensburg, Germany
• Dr Garbine Arechaga, University of Jaen, Spain
• Dr Olivier Sandra, INRA, France
• Professor Robert Millar, MRC Centre for Reproductive Biology, Edinburgh
  

Recent Publications

2008

Arck P, Rücke M, Rose M, Szekeres-Bartho J, Douglas AJ, Bärenstrauch N, Blois S, Dudenhausen J, Klapp BF (2008) Early risk factors for miscarriage: a prospective cohort study in pregnant women. Reproductive Biomedicine online 17(1):101-113

Baskerville TA, Douglas AJ (2008) Interactions between dopamine and oxytocin in the control of sexual behavior. Progress in Brain Research ‘Advances in vasopressin and oxytocin’. Elsevier. (in press)

Brunton PJ, Russell JA, Douglas AJ (2008) Adaptive responses of the maternal HPA axis in pregnancy and lactation. Journal of Neuroendocrinology 20:764-776

Douglas AJ, Meddle SL (2008) Fast delivery: a central role for oxytocin. In: Neurobiology of the Parental Brain, Elsevier. Academic Press, Ch14. pp223-232

Jarvis S, Moinard C, Robson SK, Summer BEH, Douglas AJ, Seckl JR, Russell JA, Lawrence AB (2008) Effects of weaning age on the behavioural and neuroendocrine development of piglets. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 110:166-181

Leng G, Meddle SL, Douglas AJ (2008) Oxytocin and the maternal brain. Current Opinion in Pharmacology (in press)

Russell JA, Douglas AJ, Brunton PJ (2008) Reduced hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis stress responses in late pregnancy: central opioid inhibition and noradrenergic mechanisms. Annals of the New York Academy of Science ‘Catecholamines and other neurotransmitters in stress’. (in press)

2007

Douglas AJ, Meddle SL, Kromer S, Musch W, Bosch OJ, Neumann ID (2007) Social stress induces hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis responses in lactating rats bred for high trait anxiety. European Journal of Neuroscience 25:1599-1603

Douglas AJ, Johnstone LE, Leng G (2007) Neuroendocrine mechanisms of change in food intake during pregnancy: potential role for brain oxytocin. Physiology and Behavior 91:352-365

Meddle SL, Bishop V, Gkoumassi E, van Leeuwen FW, Douglas AJ (2007) Dynamic changes in oxytocin receptor expression and activation at parturition in the rat brain. Endocrinology 148:5095-5104

2006

Caquineau C, Leng G, Guan XM, Jiang M, Van der Ploeg L, Douglas AJ (2006) Effects of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone on magnocellular oxytocin neurones and their activation at intromission in male rats. J Neuroendocrinol 18(9):685-691

Pincus-Knackstedt MK, Joachim RA, Blois SM, Douglas AJ, Orsal AS, Klapp BF, Wahn U, Hamelmann E, Arck PC (2006) Prenatal stress enhances susceptibility of murine adult offspring toward airway inflammation. J Immunol 177(12):8484-8492

Jarvis S, Moinard C, Robson SK, Baxter E, Ormandy E, Douglas AJ, Seckl JR, Russell JA, Lawrence AB (2006) Programming offspring of the pig by pre-natal social stress: neuroendocrine activity and behaviour. Hormones and Behavior 49:68-80

2005

Bosch OJ, Meddle SL, Douglas AJ, Neumann ID (2005) Brain oxytocin correlates with maternal aggression: link to anxiety. Journal of Neuroscience 25(29): 6807-6815

Brunton PJ, Meddle SL, Ma S, Ochedalski T, Douglas AJ, Russell JA (2005) Endogenous opioids and attenuated hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis responses to immune challenge in pregnant rats. Journal of Neuroscience 25(21): 5117-5126

Douglas AJ, Meddle SL, Toschi N, Bosch OJ, Neumann ID (2005) Reduced activity of the noradrenergic system in the paraventricular nucleus at the end of pregnancy: implications for stress hyporesponsiveness. Journal of Neuroendocrinology 17:40-48

Douglas AJ, (2005) Central noradrenergic mechanisms underlying stress responses of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis: adaptations through pregnancy and lactation. Stress 8(1):5-18

Douglas AJ The vasopressin and oxytocin systems (2005) In Handbook of Stress and the Brain, Part 1, The Neurobiology of Stress. Eds: Steckler T, Kalin NH & Reul JMHM. Techniques in the Behavioural and Neural Sciences series, Elsevier Science BV, Amsterdam, Vol 15, Ch2.5 pp205-229

2004

Srisawat R, Bishop VR, Bull PM, Douglas AJ, Russell JA, Ludwig M, Leng G (2004) Regulation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase mRNA in the magnocellular neurosecretory system. Neuroscience Letters 369:191-196

2003

Douglas AJ, Brunton PJ, Bosch OJ, Russell JA, Neumann ID (2003) Neuroendocrine secretory responses to stress in mice through reproduction: stress hyporesponsiveness in pregnancy and parturition. Endocrinology 144:5268-5276

Joachim R, Zenclussen AC, Polgar B, Douglas AJ, Fest S, Knackstedt M, Klapp BF, Arck PC (2003) The progesterone derivative dydrogesterone abrogates murine stress triggered abortion by inducing a Th2 biased local immune response. Steroids 68:931-940

Neumann ID, Bosch OJ, Toschi N, Torner L, Douglas AJ (2003) No responsiveness of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis to airpuff stress in parturient rats: lack of involvement of brain oxytocin. Endocrinology 144(6):2473-2479

Russell JA, Leng G, Douglas AJ (2003) The magnocellular oxytocin system, the fount of maternity: adaptations in pregnancy. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology 24(1):27-61

Russell JA, Douglas AJ (2003) Oxytocin. Eds Henry, H and Norman AW. in Encyclopaedia of Hormones. Academic Press

Sabatier N, Caquineau C, Douglas AJ, Leng G (2003) Oxytocin released from magnocellular dendrites: a potential modulator of aMSH behavioural actions? In: The Melanocortin System, Eds: Barsh G, Cone R, & Van der Ploeg LHT. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 994:218-224

Sabatier N, Caquineau C, Dayanithi G, Bull P, Douglas AJ, Guan XMM, Jiang M, van der Ploeg L, Leng G (2003) Alpha-MSH stimulates oxytocin release from the dendrites of hypothalamic neurons while inhibiting oxytocin release from their terminals in the neurohypophysis. Journal of Neuroscience 23(32):10351-10358

2002

Douglas AJ, Bicknell RJ, Leng G, Russell JA, Meddle SM (2002) Beta-endorphin cells in the arcuate nucleus: projections to the supraoptic nucleus and changes during pregnancy and parturition. J Neuroendocrinol 14 (10):768-777

Douglas AJ, Leng G, Russell JA (2002) The importance of oxytocin mechanisms in the control of mouse parturition. Reproduction 123(4):543-552

2001

Douglas AJ, Scullion S, Antonijevic IA, Brown D, Russell JA, Leng G (2001) Uterine contractile activity stimulates supraoptic neurons in term pregnant rats via a noradrenergic pathway. Endocrinology, 142(2):633-644

Douglas AJ, Russell JA (2001) Endogenous opioid regulation of neuroendocrine activity during pregnancy and parturition. Eds: Russell JA, Douglas AJ, Windle R, Ingram CD In: The Maternal Brain: neurobiological and neuroendocrine adaptation and disorders in pregnancy and post partum. Progress in Brain Research 133:67-82

Russell JA, Douglas AJ, Ingram CD (2001) Brain preparations for maternity - adaptive changes in behavioral and neuroendocrine systems during pregnancy and lactation: an overview. Progress in Brain Research 133:1-38 (introductory chapter to book form conference on the Maternal Brain, Editors: Russell JA, Douglas AJ, Windle R & Ingram CD)