Additional Titles & Roles
- Co-Director, IDDRC Model Systems Core
- Director, IDDRC Animal Behavior Subunit
- Assistant Director, Animal Behavior Core
Education & Training
- PhD: Psychology: University of Missouri, 2012
- MA: University of Missouri, 2007
- BA: Psychology: University of Missouri, 2003
Major Awards
- W.M. Keck Fellowship for Molecular Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, 2015
- Neuroscience, Behavior and Cognition Student of the Year Award, University of Missouri – St. Louis, 2011
- Outstanding Research in Behavioral Neuroscience Award, University of Missouri – St. Louis, 2011
- Kathy Van Dyke Scholarship for Leadership and Significant Contribution to the Field of Psychology, University of Missouri – St. Louis, 2008
- Outstanding Graduate Student in the Ph.D. Program in Behavioral Neuroscience Award, University of Missouri – St. Louis, 2007
Research Interests
The focus of my research is the impact of genetic and environmental liabilities for intellectual and developmental disorders (IDD) on neural circuit function. My research projects are targeted at understanding how IDD genetic likelihood disrupts behavior with a focus on developmental trajectories, social motivation, sensory and motor function, and the roles in these functions of the serotonin, oxytocin and opioid systems.
Key Publications
- Chen J, Lambo ME, Ge X, Dearborn JT, Liu Y, McCullough KB, Swift RG, Tabachnick DR, Tian L, Noguchi K, Garbow JR, Constantino JN, Gabel HW, Hengen KB, Maloney SE, Dougherty JD, (2021 12). A MYT1L syndrome mouse model recapitulates patient phenotypes and reveals altered brain development due to disrupted neuronal maturation. Neuron. 109(23): 3775-3792.e14.
Read publication »A MYT1L syndrome mouse model recapitulates patient phenotypes and reveals altered brain development due to disrupted neuronal maturation. - Nygaard KR, Swift RG, Glick RM, Wagner RE, Maloney SE, Gould GG, Dougherty JD, (2022 01). Oxytocin receptor activation does not mediate associative fear deficits in a Williams Syndrome model. Genes Brain Behav. 21(1): e12750.
Read publication »Oxytocin receptor activation does not mediate associative fear deficits in a Williams Syndrome model. - Rahn RM, Weichselbaum CT, Gutmann DH, Dougherty JD, Maloney SE, (2021 03). Shared developmental gait disruptions across two mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders. J Neurodev Disord. 13(1): 10.
Read publication »Shared developmental gait disruptions across two mouse models of neurodevelopmental disorders. - Minakova E, Sarafinovska S, Mikati MO, Barclay KM, McCullough KB, Dougherty JD, Al-Hasani R, Maloney SE, (2021 February). Ontogenetic Oxycodone Exposure Affects Early Life Communicative Behaviors, Sensorimotor Reflexes, and Weight Trajectory in Mice. Front Behav Neurosci. 15: 615798.
Read publication »Ontogenetic Oxycodone Exposure Affects Early Life Communicative Behaviors, Sensorimotor Reflexes, and Weight Trajectory in Mice. - Akula SK, McCullough KB, Weichselbaum C, Dougherty JD, Maloney SE, (2020 06). The trajectory of gait development in mice. Brain Behav. 10(6): e01636.
Read publication »The trajectory of gait development in mice. - Maloney SE, Akula S, Rieger MA, McCullough KB, Chandler K, Corbett AM, McGowin AE, Dougherty JD, (2018 July). Examining the Reversibility of Long-Term Behavioral Disruptions in Progeny of Maternal SSRI Exposure. eNeuro. 5(4):
Read publication »Examining the Reversibility of Long-Term Behavioral Disruptions in Progeny of Maternal SSRI Exposure.