Leonida Fusani

Currently: Assistant Professor, University of Siena, Italy

Formerly: Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Physiological Science and Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology, Brain Research Institute, UCLA

Principle Research Interests:
Hormonal modulation of avian courtship behaviour. Vocal-postural co-ordination of elaborate displays. Sites and modalities of action of hormones in the brain, spinal cord, and limb muscles. Neural plasticity of sexually dimorphic neural tissues in adults birds. Behavioural neuroendocrinology, Evolutionary neurobiology.

E-mail: lfusani@physci.ucla.edu
             fusani@unisi.it

Education:
MA, Conservatorio Cherubini, Firenze, Italy, 1986. MSc, Universita' di Firenze, Italy, 1992. MPhil, University of Cambridge, UK, 1994.
PhD, University of Cambridge, UK, 1999.
Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Max-Planck-Research Center for Ornithology, Andechs, Germany, 1999-2001.

Academic Distinctions:
Comett Training Studentship, 1993-1994.
Erasmus studentship, Commission of the European Communities, 1993.
ASAB Conference Grant, Association for the study of Animal Behaviour, 1994, 1995.
Junior Research Fellow, Hughes Hall, Cambridge, UK, 1994. PhD Studentship, Max-Planck Society, 1994-1998.
Travel Grant, Association for the study of Animal Behaviour, 1995.
Conference Grant, Commission of the European Communities, 1996.
Research Travel Grant, Alexander von Gwinner Foundation, 1999.
Research Fellowship, Max-Planck Society, 1999-2001.

Recent Publications:
Fusani, L., Beani, L. & Dessì-Fulgheri, F. 1994. Testosterone affects the acoustic structure of the male call in the grey partridge (Perdix perdix). Behaviour, 128, 301-310.

Fusani, L., Beani, L., Lupo, C. & Dessì-Fulgheri, F. 1997. Sexually selected vigilance behaviour of the grey partridge is affected by plasma androgen levels. Animal Behaviour, 54, 1013-1018.
http://www.idealibrary.com/links/doi/10.1006/anbe.1997.0518

Fusani, L., Hutchison, R. E. & Hutchison, J. B. 1997. Vocal-postural co-ordination of a sexually dimorphic display in a monomorphic species: the Barbary dove. Behaviour, 134, 321-335.

Metzdorf, R., Gahr, M. & Fusani, L. 1999. Distribution of aromatase, estrogen receptor, and androgen receptor mRNA in the forebrain of songbirds and nonsongbirds. J. Comp. Neurol., 405, 1-15.

Fusani, L., Van't Hof, T., Hutchison, J. B. & Gahr, M. 2000. Seasonal expression of androgen receptors, estrogen receptors and aromatase in the canary brain in relation to circulating androgens and estrogens. J. Neurobiol., 43, 254-268.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/72503735/START

Fusani, L., Gahr, M. & Hutchison, J. B. 2001. Aromatase inhibition reduces specifically one display of the ring dove courtship behavior. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol., 122, 23-30.
http://www.idealibrary.com/links/doi/10.1006/gcen.2001.7608

Fusani, L., Hutchison, J. B. & Gahr, M. 2001. Testosterone Regulates the Activity and Expression of Aromatase in the Canary Neostriatum. J. Neurobiol., 49, 1-8.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/85011641/START