Henryk F. Urbanski

Although the hypothalamus represents only a small area of the brain, it plays a vital role in the maintenance of our internal environment.

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).

Learn more about training in aging research at OHSU

BIOGRAPHY

After his undergraduate studies at the University of Wales, Henryk Urbanski received a M.S. degree from the University of Edinburgh in 1978, and a Ph.D. degree in Zoology from the University of Bristol in 1983. In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious Doctor of Science degree (D.Sc) from the School of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Urbanski's postdoctoral training was in the Department of Physiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and in 1987 he joined the ONPRC Division of Neuroscience. Currently, he is a Senior Scientist at the ONPRC and the co-director of the Biology of Aging working group.  He is also a Professor at the OHSU School of Medicine, in the Department of Behavioral Neuroscience and in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology.

KEY PUBLICATIONS

Urbanski HF,  White RB, Fernald RD, Kohama SG,  Garyfallou VT, and Densmore VS. (1999) Regional expression of mRNA encoding a second form of gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the macaque brain. Endocrinology 140:1945-1948. 

Lemos DR, Downs JL, and Urbanski HF. (2006) Twenty-four-hour rhythmic gene expression in the rhesus macaque adrenal gland. Molecular Endocrinology 20:1164-1176.

Downs JL, and Urbanski HF. (2006) Neuroendocrine changes in the aging reproductive axis of female rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).Biol. Reprod.75:539-546.

Downs JL, Mattison JA, Ingram DK, and Urbanski HF.  (2008)  Effect of age and caloric restriction on circadian adrenal steroid rhythms in rhesus macaques. Neurobiol. Aging. 29:1412-1422. 

Urbanski HF, Noriega NC, Lemos DR, and Kohama SG. (2009). Gene expression profiling in the rhesus macaque: experimental design considerations. Methods, 49:26-31. 

Urbanski HF. (2011). Role of circadian neuroendocrine rhythms in the control of behavior and physiology. Neuroendocrinol, 93:211-222.

See a full listing of Dr. Urbanski's publications.