Before coming to APU, Dr. Herod worked at the Oregon National Primate Research Center in Beaverton, Oregon, where she studied the brain mechanisms underlying the development of stress-sensitivity and susceptibility to stress-induced disorders, specifically stress-induced infertility in female monkeys. At APU, she continues her work in the neuroendocrinology of the stress response in genetic mutant mice deficient in normal functioning of the serotonin system, a neurotransmitter involved in mood, cognition, and stress reactivity. Dr. Herod examines the role of early life stress exposure and availability of various neurotransmitter systems in determining susceptibility to stress-induced disorders in adulthood.