After training with Jaak Panksepp, Jeffrey Burgdorf dedicated his career to the neuroscience of positive emotions and their genetic expression. Working with Panksepp and colleagues, he demonstrated that rats produce 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations during play and tickling that are functionally analogous to human laughter — showing that positive affect has deep evolutionary roots. He also identified genes activated by play that promote neuronal growth, finding them dormant in play-deprived animals. Currently Research Associate Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, his work continues to explore molecular targets for depression, ADHD, and social play deficits.
