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Comparative Medicine
Dr. Jay Kaplan

Jay R. Kaplan, PhD

Professor of Pathology (Comparative Medicine)
and Anthropology (Wake Forest University)
Tel: (336) 716-1522
Fax: (336) 716-1515
jkaplan@wfubmc.edu

Education:
  • Undergraduate: Swarthmore College, BA, 1968
  • Postgraduate: Northwestern University, MA, 1970; PhD, 1976 
Interests:
  • Teaching: Primate Biology and Behavior, Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine, Medical Anthropology, Human Behavioral Evolution
  • Research: Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine, Neurobiology, Women's Health, Primate Biology and Behavior, Evolutionary Pyschology, Nutrition and Behavior, Darwinian Medicine, Primate Genetics
Current Research: Behavior, Genetics, Evolution 

My major research interest is to understand the role played by social behavior in the development of atherosclerotic heart disease among males and premenopausal females. Specifically, I use nonhuman primates to investigate the physiologic and pathobiologic sequelae of experimental manipulations involving the social environment. In studying such manipulations, I am interested both in effects that are generalized across all animals, and in effects that vary as a function of inherent inter-individual differences in behavioral or physiological responsiveness to a given environment. Our mechanistic studies involve the pituitary-adrenomedullary and pituitary-adrenocortical systems. Recently, our laboratory has begun to explore the neurobiologic concomitants of behaviors that are associated with disease susceptibility and resistance. This research led to the unanticipated finding that alterations in dietary cholesterol are associated with changes in central serotonergic activity as well as social behavior. 

Schematic shows how changes in sympathetic activity can affect cardiovascular risk at the cellular level

FIGURE LEGEND: A schematic illustration of how changes in sympathetic activity can affect risk factors for cardiovascular disease at the cellular level. BP=Blood Pressure; HR=Heart Rate; SMC=Smooth Muscle Cell

Recent Publications:

More recent publications are listed on PubMed [Link]

Riddick NV, Czoty PW, Gage HD, Kaplan JR, Nader SH, Icenhower M, Pierre PJ, Bennett A, Garg PK, Garg S, Nader MA. Behavioral and neurobiological characteristics influencing social hierarchy formation in female cynomolgus monkeys. Neuroscience. 2008 Nov 17. [Epub ahead of print]

Gratzke C, Jarajapu YP, Christ GJ, Kaplan JR, Williams JK, Andersson KE, Badlani G. Effects of long-term dietary soy treatment on female urethral morphology and function in ovariectomized nonhuman primates. J Urol. 2008 Nov;180(5):2247-53.

Kaplan JR, Manuck SB. Ovarian dysfunction and the premenopausal origins of coronary heart disease. Menopause. 2008 Jul-Aug;15(4 Pt 1):768-76.

Wagner JD, Zhang L, Shadoan MK, Kavanagh K, Chen H, Tresnasari K, Kaplan JR, Adams MR. Effects of soy protein and isoflavones on insulin resistance and adiponectin in male monkeys. Metabolism. 2008 Jul;57(7 Suppl 1):S24-31.

Kaplan JR. Origins and health consequences of stress-induced ovarian dysfunction. Interdiscip Top Gerontol. 2008;36:162-85.

Walker SE, Register TC, Appt SE, Adams MR, Clarkson TB, Chen H, Isom S, Franke AA, Kaplan JR. Plasma lipid-dependent and -independent effects of dietary soy protein and social status on atherogenesis in premenopausal monkeys: implications for postmenopausal
atherosclerosis burden. Menopause. 2008 Sep-Oct;15(5):950-7.

Miller-Butterworth CM, Kaplan JR, Shaffer J, Devlin B, Manuck SB, Ferrell RE. Sequence variation in the primate dopamine transporter gene and its relationship to social dominance. Mol Biol Evol. 2008 Jan;25(1):18-28.

Jarrell H, Hoffman JB, Kaplan JR, Berga S, Kinkead B, Wilson ME.  Polymorphisms in the serotonin reuptake transporter gene modify the consequences of social status on metabolic health in female rhesus monkeys. Physiol Behav. 2008 Mar 18;93(4-5):807-19.

Jones JC, Appt SE, Bourland JD, Hoyer PB, Clarkson TB, Kaplan JR. Multidetector computed tomographic morphology of ovaries in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2007 Sep;46(5):54-63.

Hoffman JB, Kaplan JR, Kinkead B, Berga SL, Wilson ME. Metabolic and reproductive consequences of the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism (5-HTTLPR) in adult female rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Endocrine. 2007 Apr;31(2):202-11.
 
Lees CJ, Kaplan JR, Chen H, Jerome CP, Register TC, Franke AA. Bone mass and soy isoflavones in socially housed, premenopausal macaques. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Jul;86(1):245-50.

Miller-Butterworth CM, Kaplan JR, Barmada MM, Manuck SB, Ferrell RE. The Serotonin Transporter: Sequence Variation in Macaca fascicularis and its Relationship to Dominance. Behav Genet. 2007 Sep;37(5):678-96. Epub 2007 Jun 29.

Appt SE, Kaplan JR, Clarkson TB, Cline JM, Christian PJ, Hoyer PB. Destruction of primordial ovarian follicles in adult cynomolgus macaques after exposure to 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide: a nonhuman primate model of the menopausal transition. Fertil Steril. 2006 Oct;86 Suppl 4:1210-6.

Stroud FC, Appt SE, Wilson ME, Franke AA, Adams MR, Kaplan JR. Concentrations of isoflavones in macaques consuming standard laboratory monkey diet. J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2006 Jul;45(4):20-3.

Wagner JE, Kavanagh K, Ward GM, Auerbach BJ, Harwood HJ Jr, Kaplan JR. Old world nonhuman primate models of type 2 diabetes mellitus. ILAR J. 2006;47(3):259-71. Review.

Kaplan JR, Wagner JD. Type 2 diabetes-an introduction to the development and use of animal models. ILAR J. 2006;47(3):181-5. Review.

Wood CE, Kaplan JR, Stute P, Cline JM. Effects of soy on the mammary glands of premenopausal female monkeys. Fertil Steril. 2006 Apr;85 Suppl 1:1179-86.

Adams MR, Golden DL, Williams JK, Franke AA, Register TC, Kaplan JR. Soy protein containing isoflavones reduces the size of atherosclerotic plaques without affecting coronary artery reactivity in adult male monkeys. J Nutr. 2005 Dec;135(12):2852-6.

Hu S, Lu SF, Kaplan JR, Adams MR, Simon NG. ERbeta protein expression in female cynomolgus monkey and CF-1 mouse brain: Western analysis. J Neurobiol. 2005 Sep 5;64(3):298-309.

Register TC, Cann JA, Kaplan JR, Williams JK, Adams MR, Morgan TM, Anthony MS, Blair RM, Wagner JD, Clarkson TB. Effects of Soy Isoflavones and Conjugated Equine Estrogens on Inflammatory Markers in Atherosclerotic, Ovariectomized Monkeys. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Mar;90(3):1734-40 [Epub Dec, 2004]

Adams MR, Williams JK, Kaplan JR. Estrogens, progestins, and atherosclerosis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2004 Nov;24(11):e190; author reply e190-1.

Stute P, Wood CE, Kaplan JR, Cline JM. Cyclic changes in the mammary gland of cynomolgus macaques. Fertil Steril. 2004 Oct;82 Suppl 3:1160-70.

Wood CE, Cline JM, Anthony MS, Register TC, Kaplan JR. Adrenocortical effects of oral estrogens and soy isoflavones in female monkeys. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 May;89(5):2319-25.

Kaplan JR, Manuck SB. Ovarian dysfunction, stress, and disease: a primate continuum. ILAR J. 2004;45(2):89-115.

Kaplan JR. Introduction: Modeling Women's Health with Nonhuman Primates and Other Animals. ILAR J. 2004;45(2):83-8.

Simon NG, Kaplan JR, Hu S, Register TC, Adams MR. Increased aggressive behavior and decreased affiliative behavior in adult male monkeys after long-term consumption of diets rich in soy protein and isoflavones. Horm Behav. 2004 Apr;45(4):278-84.

Rogers J, Martin LJ, Comuzzie AG, Mann JJ, Manuck SB, Leland M, Kaplan JR. Genetics of monoamine metabolites in baboons: overlapping sets of genes influence levels of 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid, 3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenylglycol, and homovanillic acid. Biol Psychiatry. 2004 Apr 1;55(7):739-44.

Pazol K, Kaplan JR, Abbott D, Appt SE, Wilson ME. Practical measurement of total and bioavailable estradiol in female macaques. Clin Chim Acta. 2004 Feb; 340(1-2): 117-26.

Manuck SB, Kaplan JR, Rymeski BA, Fairbanks LA, Wilson ME. Approach to a social stranger is associated with low central nervous system serotonergic responsivity in female cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Am J Primatol. 2003 Dec; 61(4): 187-94.

Stavisky RC, Watson SL, Anthony MS, Manuck SB, Adams MR, Kaplan JR. Influence of estradiol on cortisol secretion in ovariectomized cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). Am J Primatol. 2003 May;60(1):17-22.

Williams JK, Kaplan JR, Suparto I, Fox JL, Manuck SB. Effects of Exercise on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Monkeys With Risk Factors for Coronary Heart Disease. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2003 May 1;23(5):864-71.

Wagner JD, Kaplan JR, Burkman RT. Reproductive hormones and cardiovascular disease mechanism of action and clinical implications. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2002 Sep;29(3):475-93.

Kaplan JR, Manuck SB, Fontenot MB, Mann JJ. Central nervous system monoamine correlates of social dominance in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Neuropsychopharmacology. 2002 Apr;26(4):431-43.

Kaplan JR, Manuck SB, Anthony MS, Clarkson TB. Premenopausal social status and hormone exposure predict postmenopausal atherosclerosis in female monkeys. Obstet Gynecol. 2002 Mar;99(3):381-8.

Morgan D, Grant KA, Gage HD, Mach RH, Kaplan JR, Prioleau O, Nader SH, Buchheimer N, Ehrenkaufer RL, Nader MA. Social dominance in monkeys: dopamine D2 receptors and cocaine self-administration. Nat Neurosci. 2002 Feb;5(2):169-74.

Stavisky RC, Whitten PL, Hammett DH, Kaplan JR. Lake pigments facilitate analysis of fecal cortisol and behavior in group-housed macaques. Am J Phys Anthropol. 2001 Sep;116(1):51-8.

Stavisky RC, Adams MR, Watson SL, Kaplan JR. Dominance, cortisol, and behavior in small groups of female cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). Horm Behav. 2001 May;39(3):232-8.

Fairbanks LA, Melega WP, Jorgensen MJ, Kaplan JR, McGuire MT. Social impulsivity inversely associated with CSF 5-HIAA and fluoxetine exposure in vervet monkeys. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2001 Apr;24(4):370-8.

Muldoon MF, Manuck SB, Mendelsohn AB, Kaplan JR, Belle SH. Cholesterol reduction and non-illness mortality: meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials. BMJ. 2001 Jan 6;322(7277):11-5.

Morgan D, Grant KA, Prioleau OA, Nader SH, Kaplan JR, Nader MA. Predictors of social status in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) after group formation. Am J Primatol. 2000 Nov;52(3):115-31.

Kaplan JR, Manuck SB. Status, stress, and atherosclerosis: the role of environment and individual behavior. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1999;896:145-61.