ii Dedication This thesis and the work contained herein are dedicated to my dear wife, Susan Elaine Fargo. This process was as difficult for her as it was for me, even more so in many ways, and it is impossible for me to imagine that I would have been able to accomplish this goal without her constant love and support. Thank you. iii Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the members of my Doctoral Committee. In addition to the advice and guidance they offered with

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... t to my dissertation research, they have all contributed in unique ways to my graduate education. Each has treated me with considerable kindness and congeniality throughout the years, and each has served as a model for important personal and professional characteristics. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Steinmetz for the leadership he provided to the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences during the largest portion of my graduate training. I would also like to thank the University Graduate School, the Program in Neuroscience, the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and the National Institutes of Health for major support; and the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate and Professional Student Organization for research travel support. Special thanks are due to the late Dr. Herman B. Wells, the grand old man of Indiana University. I love Indiana University deeply, as did he. This institution is a beacon of openness, curiosity, tolerance, and enlightenment; and no single person has done more to make it so than he. Dr. Mark Harty provided indispensable help in teaching me several anatomical and neuroendocrine research techniques early in my training. I would also like to thank Dr. iv Allison Foster for spending more time than I could reasonably expect in teaching me her electrophysiology technique, and for providing excellent feedback on the Methods text in Chapter 4.