Dr. Kathleen Conner

EDUCATION:

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

My research focuses on how drugs (such as cannabis and alcohol) affect offspring brain and behavioral development. I will be researching various timepoints in development such as exposure during adolescence and young adulthood, maternal exposure to substances during pregnancy, and paternal exposure prior to conception. I also investigate the epigenetic effects of drug use and potential impacts on future generations.

REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS:

Conner, K.E., Bottom, R.T., Huffman, K.J. (2020). The impact of paternal ethanol exposure on offspring brain and behavioral development. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. 44(1), 125-140. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.14245

Santiago, S.E., Conner, K.E., Erickson, M.A., Huffman, K.J. (2022). Environmental toxins and neurodevelopment. Encyclopedia of Mental Health, 3rd edition. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-91497-0.00217-4

Englund, M., James, S.S., Bottom, R.T., Perez, R.F., Conner, K.E., Huffman, K.J., Wilson, S.J., Krubitzer, L.A. (2022). Comparing cortex-wide gene expression patterns between species in a common reference frame. PNAS. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.07.28.454203

Perez, R.F., Conner, K.E., Erickson, M.A., Nabatanzi, M., Huffman, K.J. (2023). Early ethanol exposure via lactation: Effects on brain and behavioral development.  Frontiers in Neuroscience.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1147274

TEACHING:

PSY101: General Education Psychology: Understanding Human Behavior
PSY 417: Advanced Research Methods in Biological Psychology
PSY 418: Research Seminar in Biological Psychology