Henryk F. Urbanski, Ph.D., D.Sc.

  • Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience, School of Medicine
  • Professor, Oregon National Primate Research Center
  • Director, Biology of Aging Program, Oregon National Primate Research Center
  • Co-Director, OHSU Healthy Aging Alliance, Oregon National Primate Research Center

Biography

Henryk Urbanski, Ph.D., D.Sc. is a professor in the Divisions of Neuroscience and Reproductive & Developmental Sciences at ONPRC and in the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience at OHSU.

Research in Dr. Urbanski's laboratory is focused on two major hypothalamic neural circuits: (1) those responsible for maintaining rhythmic biological functions (e.g., circadian hormone rhythms and the sleep-wake cycle), and (2) those responsible for maintaining normal reproductive function (e.g., puberty, ovulation, and menopause). His primary goal is to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie these physiological functions, and to understand how they are influenced by various hormones and by changes in the external environment.

Members of Dr. Urbanski's laboratory team are using a variety of techniques to investigate how sleep-wake cycles and reproductive physiology are influenced by factors such as day-length, diet, age and sex-steroids. They are also examining the underlying genetic and neuroendocrine mechanisms.

Dr. Urbanski's hope is that a deeper understanding of plasticity within hypothalamic neuroendocrine circuits will lead to the development of effective therapies for various human physiological disorders, especially those associated with the onset of puberty and menopause, as well as those associated with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Education and training

    • B.Sc., 1977, University of Wales
    • M.Sc., 1978, University of Edinburgh
    • Ph.D., 1983, University of Bristol
    • Sc.D., 2004, University of Edinburgh
  • Fellowship

    • Dr. Urbanski's postdoctoral training (1983-1987) was in the Department of Physiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Areas of interest

  • Brain Aging
  • Circadian rhythms
  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Puberty
  • Menopause

Publications

Elsevier pure profile

Selected publications

  • Downs JL, Urbanski HF. (2006) Neuroendocrine changes in the aging reproductive axis of female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Biol. Reprod.75:539-546. PMID: 16837643.
  • Lemos DR, Downs JL, Urbanski HF. (2006) Twenty-four hour rhythmic gene expression in the rhesus macaque adrenal gland. Molec. Endocrinol. 20:1164-1176. PMID: 16439464.
  • Urbanski HF (2011). Circadian variation in the physiology and behavior of humans and nonhuman primates. In: Animal Models of Behavioral Analysis, Neuromethods, 50 (ed, J. Raber), Chapter 9, pp.217-235, Humana Press, NY.
  • Sorwell KG, Kohama SG, Urbanski HF. (2012) Preimenopausal regulation of steroidogenesis in the nonhuman primate. Neurobiol. Aging. 33:1487.e1-e13. PMCID: PMC3196783
  • Urbanski HF, Sorwell K. (2012) Age-related changes in neuroendocrine rhythmic function in the rhesus macaque. Age (Dordr). 34:1111-1121. PMCID: PMC3448984.
  • Urbanski HF (2015) Selective targeting of GnRH-II neurons to block ovulation. Contraception 91:423-425. PMCID: PMC4377115.
  • Kohama SG, Renner L, Landauer N, Weiss AR, Urbanski HF, Park B, Voytko ML, Neuringer M (2016). Effect of ovarian hormone therapy on cognition in the aged female rhesus macaque. J. Neurosci. 36:10416-10424. PMCID: PMC5050333.
  • Eghlidi DH, Luna SL, Brown DI, Garyfallou VT, Kohama SG, Urbanski HF. (2018). Gene expression profiling of the SCN in young and old rhesus macaques. J Mol Endocrinol. 61(2):57-67. PMCID: PMC6054827.
  • Graham LC, Naldrett MJ, Kohama SG, Smith C, Lamont DJ, McColl BW, Gillingwater TH, Skehel P, Urbanski HF, Wishart TM (2019). TGFβ1 regulates regional synaptic vulnerability during normal healthy ageing. Cell Reports, 27:1018-1026. PMCID: PMC6486486.

Publications

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