Larry J. Young PhD

Larry Young, PhD, Chief of the Yerkes Division of Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychiatric Disorders, studied biochemistry at the University of Georgia. After becoming excited about the possibility of making new discoveries for understanding the complexities of life at the molecular level, he decided to dedicate his career to understanding how the brain functions to generate complex behaviors in animals. After earning his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Georgia, Dr. Young completed his graduate training in zoology and received his doctorate from the University of Texas. Dr. Young then moved to Emory University for his postdoctoral training and was promoted to faculty in the Department of Psychiatry, Emory School of Medicine, in 1996.

Dr. Young's research focuses on understanding the genetic and neurobiological mechanisms underlying complex social behaviors, including social bonding and social attachments. He is most well known for his research examining the mechanisms underlying pair bond formation in monogamous prairie voles. His studies have highlighted the roles of oxytocin and vasopressin in regulating social behavior. This work has important implications for psychiatric disorders characterized by disruption in social cognition, including autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Dr. Young’s lab is now using this basic understanding of social cognition to identify novel drugs to treat social deficits in psychiatric disorders.