| Citation | Distinguished for studies of the neural and endocrine basis of behaviour which have revealed similar mechanisms operating in different contexts in different species. Thus he has successfully analysed the neuroendocrine mechanisms underlying suppression of ovulation in subordinate monkeys, and found simialr mechanisms to be active in reproductive supression by pheromones in mice. Mate recognition in the context of mouse pregnancy block was shown by him to be initiated by cervical stimulation, and to involve the central release of noradrenaline; he further showed that both factors operate in the selective recognition of offspring by sheep, so that the same neural mechanisms are called into action at parturition in sheep and at mating in mice. He has shown that the central release of opiates at parturition are required for both mother-offspring bonding in sheep and for social bonding in monkeys, where their central release is influenced by grooming and aggression. He has successfully developed the phenomenon of pregnancy block to understand the neural basis of olfactory recognition memory. |