Brandon Fricker

Brandon Fricker is a researcher affiliated with Harvard University's Elya Lab, focusing on neurobiological mechanisms underlying social behaviors. His work bridges molecular neuroscience with evolutionary biology using rodent models like spiny mice and Mongolian gerbils.

Key research interests include:

• Neural circuits driving social affiliation and group behaviors
• Oxytocin and vasopressin receptor dynamics in bonding contexts
• E. muscae interactions with host neural activity
• Circadian rhythm disruptions during infections
• Comparative approaches to reproductive physiology and social systems

Publications demonstrate expertise in synaptic plasticity, neurochemical mapping, and cross-species behavioral analysis. He has contributed to methodological advances in immunohistochemistry and developed CRISPR-based gene editing protocols for divergent rodent species.

Current projects explore how parasites manipulate neural activity to produce stereotyped behaviors and the evolutionary implications of sociality-related neurophysiology.