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Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 479 5993
Email
sharon.ladyman@otago.ac.nz
Position
Senior Research Fellow
Department
Department of Anatomy
Qualifications
BSc(Hons) PhD
Research summary
Neuroendocrinology

Research

Dr Ladyman’s area of expertise is hormone-induced adaptations of the maternal brain.

Her work focuses on understanding the neuro-hormonal circuits that regulate hyperphagia, glucose regulation, suppression of physical activity and thermoregulation during pregnancy and lactation.

She is also interested in understanding how going through pregnancy and lactation influences long term metabolic health. Her research involves using transgenic animal models to understand how the physiological changes of pregnancy and lactation influence neuronal function and behavioural outcomes.

Publications

Hackwell, E., Ladyman, S. R., Clarkson, J., McQuillan, H. J., Boehm, U., Herbison, A. E., Brown, R. S. E., & Grattan, D. R. (2025). Prolactin-mediates a lactation-induced suppression of arcuate kisspeptin neuronal activity necessary for lactational infertility in mice. eLIFE, 13, RP94570. doi: 10.7554/eLife.94570.3 Journal - Research Article

Ladyman, S. R., Georgescu, T. R., Stewart, A. M., Khant Aung, Z., Cheong, I., Grattan, D. R., & Brown, R. S. E. (2025). Prolactin modulation of thermoregulatory circuits provides resilience to thermal challenge of pregnancy. Cell Reports, 44(4), 115567. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115567 Journal - Research Article

Cross, A. N., Khant Aung, Z., & Ladyman, S. R. (2024, August-September). Role of prolactin sensitive POA to VTA pathway in suppression of running wheel activity during early pregnancy. Poster session presented at the 18th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)

Georgescu, T., Stewart, A. M., Sawyer, I. L., Gillett, M. L., Ladyman, S. R., Brown, R. S. E., & Grattan, D. R. (2024, August-September). Investigating the role of prolactin in pregnancy-associated thermoregulatory changes. Verbal presentation at the 18th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

Boer, G. A., Rizwan, M. Z., Ladyman, S., Garratt, M., & Tups, A. (2024, August-September). Control of energy balance by hypothalamic and hindbrain GIP receptors. Verbal presentation at the 18th New Zealand Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Verbal presentation and other Conference outputs

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