Betty Zimmerberg

Betty Zimmerberg

Howard B. Schow '50 and Nan W. Schow Professor of Neuroscience, Emerita

Lab: MSL 027 (413-597-3229)

Areas of Expertise

Developmental Psychopharmacology

Our work centers on the early development of the brain, and the way that adverse events (alcohol, drugs, stress) during pregnancy or in the early stages of life may alter this normal development leading to behavioral dysfunctions

Multimedia Neuroscience Education Project

NSF-funded website for learning about synaptic transmission and neurotransmitters

Scholarship/Creative Work

Selected Publications
  • Zimmerberg, B. & Germeyan, S. C. (2015) Effects of neonatal fluoxetine exposure on behavior across development in rats selectively bred for an infantile affective trait. Developmental Psychobiology, 57, 141-52.
  • Martinez, A.R. Brunelli, S.A. & Zimmerberg, B. (2015) Communal nesting exerts epigenetic influences on affective and social behaviors in rats selectively bred for an infantile trait. Physiology and Behavior, 139, 97-103.
  • Schott, M.L. & Zimmerberg, B. (2014). Effects of Neurokinin-1 Receptor Inhibitionon Anxiety Behavior in Neonatal Rats Selectively Bred for an Infantile Affective Trait. Pharmacology and Pharmacy, 5, 859-864.
  • Pritchard, L.M., Van Campen, T.A. & Zimmerberg, B. (2013). Behavioral effects of repeated handling differ in rats reared in social isolation and environmental enrichment. Neuroscience Letters, 536, 47-51.
  • Zimmerberg, B & Sageser, K.A. (2011). Comparison of two rodent models of maternal separation on juvenile social behavior. Frontiers in Child and Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry, 2, 1-10.
  • Brunelli, S.A., Zimmerberg, B. & Hofer, M.A. (2010). Developmental effects of breeding for an infant trait.  In Handbook of Developmental Science, Behavior, and Genetics, edited by K.E. Hood, C.T. Halpern  and G. Greenberg. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 385-322.
  • Zimmerberg, B., Martinez, A.R, Skudder, C.M., Killien, E.Y., Robinson, S.A. & Brunelli, S.A. (2010). Effects of gestational allopregnanolone administration in rats bred for high affective behavior. Physiology and Behavior, 99, 212-217.
  • Zimmerberg, B., Foote, H.E. & Van Kempen, T.A.(2009). Olfactory association learning and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in an animal model of early deprivation. Developmental Psychobiology, 51, 33-344.
  • Frye, C.A., Sumida, K., Brunelli, S.A.,  & Zimmerberg, B.  (2006) Rats bred for high anxiety responses neonatally demonstrate increases in lordosis pacing behavior and midbrain 3a5a-THP levels as adults. Behavioral Neuroscience, 120, 281-9.
  • Brunelli, S.A., Nie, R., Whipple, C., Winiger, V., Hofer, M.A. & Zimmerberg, B. (2006) Selective breeding for infant ultrasonic vocalizations affects play behavior in juvenile rats. Physiology and Behavior, 87, 527-36.
  • Bamat, N.A., Brunelli, S.A., Kron, M.M., Schulte, A.R. & Zimmerberg, B. (2005). Behavioral effects of toluene in rats selectively bred for infantile vocalization rate.  Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 27, 883-890.
  • Eseh, R. & Zimmerberg, B. (2005). Age-dependent effects of gestational and lactational iron deficiency on anxiety behavior in rats. Behavioral Brain Research, 164, 214-221.
  • Zimmerberg, B., Brunelli, S.A., Fluty, A.J., & Frye, C.E. (2005). Differences in affective behaviors and hippocampal allopregnanolone levels in adult rats of lines selectively bred for infantile vocalizations.  Behavioral Brain Research, 159, 301-311.
  • Zimmerberg, B. & Kajunski, E.W. (2004). Sexually-dimorphic effects of neonatal allopregnanolone on the development of anxiety behavior after early deprivation. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 78, 465-471.
  • Zimmerberg,B., Kim JH, Davidson AN, Rosenthal AJ.  (2003) Early Deprivation alters the vocalization behavior of neonates directing maternal attention in a rat model of child neglect.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1008, 309-313.
  • Zimmerberg, B., *Rosenthal, A.J. & *Stark, A.C. (2003). Neonatal social isolation alters both maternal and pup behaviors in rats. Developmental Psychobiology, 42, 52-63.

* Student Collaborators

Students doing research in my lab

Sierra Germeyan

Emily Levy

Lillian Audette

Daniela Zarate

A photo of the lab group