Understanding how biological systems adapt to the environment to maintain health
Our research is driven by a fundamental question:
How do environmental factors shape lifelong health, and what biological mechanisms enable organisms to adapt to these challenges?
Life depends on the ability to continuously sense and respond to changes in the environment. Throughout development and adulthood, the brain integrates metabolic, endocrine, immune and environmental information to coordinate physiological and behavioural responses that maintain health. When these adaptive mechanisms are disrupted, the consequences can extend across the lifespan and increase susceptibility to chronic disease.
The Seib Laboratory investigates the biological mechanisms through which environmental factors shape brain, behaviour and metabolic health across the lifespan. By integrating neuroscience, developmental biology, neuroendocrinology, neuroimmunology, metabolism and behavioural neuroscience, we seek to understand how biological systems adapt to environmental change, promote resilience, and, when these adaptive mechanisms fail, contribute to disease susceptibility.
Developmental Programming of Brain and Metabolic Health
Pregnancy represents one of the most remarkable examples of biological adaptation. During this period, the maternal brain, endocrine system, metabolism, immune system, and placenta work together to support healthy fetal development. Small changes in this environment can influence developmental trajectories with lasting effects on offspring health.
Our laboratory investigates how maternal nutrition, metabolism, the microbiome, and other environmental factors influence fetal brain development, placental function, and offspring physiology. Using physiologically relevant animal models, we identify the mechanisms through which maternal environments shape endocrine signalling, immune function, brain development, and long-term health. We are particularly interested in understanding why some individuals remain resilient while others become susceptible to metabolic and neurodevelopmental disorders, and how early interventions may promote healthier developmental outcomes.
Brain Plasticity and Adaptive Behaviour
The brain is remarkably adaptable. Throughout life, it continuously modifies its structure and function in response to new experiences and changing environments. One of the most fascinating examples of this adaptability is adult neurogenesis—the lifelong generation of new neurons within the hippocampus.
Our research explores how brain plasticity influences learning, memory, motivation, decision-making, and other complex behaviours. We investigate how newly generated neurons interact with reward circuits and neuroendocrine signalling to help organisms adapt to changing environmental conditions. Understanding these mechanisms provides insight into resilience, mental health, and the biological processes that support healthy brain function across the lifespan.
From Mechanisms to Prevention
Our goal is not simply to describe disease after it develops, but to understand the biological mechanisms that initiate it. By combining behavioural neuroscience, advanced hormone and metabolite profiling, molecular biology, microscopy, and quantitative image analysis, we investigate how environmental factors influence health long before clinical symptoms appear.
Ultimately, we aim to generate the biological evidence needed to advance our understanding of how environmental factors shape lifelong health, providing a scientific foundation for future prevention strategies and healthier generations.