Current activities & Interests

I currently divide my time between basic research (hormonal control of bird song and the associated brain plasticity, sexual differentiation of the brain and behavior in quail) and the presentation to the general public of notions related to sexual differences in the human species and the biological processes that underlie the occurrence of these differences. I particularly explain in this context the mechanisms that determine or at least strongly influence the sexual orientation (homo- versus heterosexuality) of men and women. This aspect of my activity is based on the writing of articles for the general press and the presentation of public conferences. All this interspersed with trips around the world ...


List of recent activities

 

Participation to the meeting of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology in Bloomington, Indiana USA (June 19-22, 2019)

- Presentation of a talk entitled: Perineuronal nets and brain plasticity in songbirds

- Chairman and presentation of the plenary lecture by Gregory F. Ball

 

May 28, 2019: Public conference on the theme: Does our brain have a sex? on the occasion of the release of my book When the brain becomes masculine (Paris, Mairie du 9è Arrondissement, France)

 

Participation in the International School of Ethology entitled Sex differences, dimorphisms, divergences: impact on brain and behavior in health and disease in Erice, Sicily, Italy (20-25 May 2019)

- Presentation of a conference entitled: Sex partner preference in animals and humans

 

May 11, 2019: Presentation of my public book entitled: When the brain becomes masculine (Humensciences, Humensis, Paris, 256 pages) at the Book Fair of Saint Louis, Alsace, France

 

Participation to the European Meeting on Songbird at Capo Caccia, Alghero, Sardinia Italy (6-7 May 2019)

- Presentation of a lecture entitled: Perineuronal nets correlate with song learning and plasticity in songbirds by Gilles Cornez, Gregory Ball F., Charlotte A. Cornil and Jacques Balthazart


April 3, 2019: Publication of my public book entitled: When the brain becomes masculine (Humensciences, Humensis, Paris, 256 pages)

 

February 14, 2019: Interview on RTBF on the occasion of Valentine's Day

Let's talk about love with Dr. Jacques Balthazart

To listen again on:

https://www.rtbf.be/auvio/detail_l-actu-du-jour?id=2460022

Participation to 10th International Meeting on Steroids and Nervous System in Turin, Italy (16-20 February 2019)

- Presentation of a plenary conference summarizing the conceptual progress made in understanding the hormonal mechanisms of sexual behavior control over the last 20 years (New concepts in the study of the sexual differentiation and activation of reproductive behavior, a personal view)

 - Chairman of the session entitled: Aromatase in the female brain organized by Charlotte A. Cornil, University of Liège

- Chairman and presentation of the Nirao Shah Plenary Lecture, Stanford University entitled: Molecular and Neural control of sexually dimorphic social behaviors

 

January 17, 2019: Presentation of my public book entitled: When the brain becomes masculine (Humensciences, Humensis, Paris, 256 pages) to the press and booksellers in Paris, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Hotel de l'Industrie



© Jacques Balthazart 2019