Research Interests
In our laboratory, we study the effects of drugs of abuse, particularly psychostimulants, on maternal behavior and aggression and how prenatal exposure to drugs alters the behavioral and biological development of offspring in a rodent model. Our research techniques range from behavioral to molecular, which allows us in collaboration with other scientists, to examine these issues from many different perspectives. We also collaborate on human research projects focusing on the endocrine determinants of social/maternal behavior, particularly following drug use. The interaction between oxytocin and drugs of abuse as it relates to these effects plays a prominent role in our work. Our recent projects have also included studies using an alcohol/nicotine combined gestational treatment model to examine effects on maternal behavior, offspring alcohol preference and oxytocin system changes.
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Recent Publications
Click here for a full list of publications from PubMed
McMurray MS, Williams SK, Jarrett TM, Cox ET, Fay EE, Overstreet DH, Walker CH, Johns JM. Gestational ethanol and nicotine exposure: Effects on maternal behavior, oxytocin, and offspring ethanol intake in the rat.Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2008 Jul 11.
McMurray MS, Joyner PW, Middleton CW, Jarrett TM, Elliott DL, Black MA, Hofler VE, Walker CH, Johns JM. Intergenerational effects of cocaine on maternal aggressive behavior and brain oxytocin in rat dams.Stress. 2008;11(5):398-410.
McMurray MS, Cox ET, Jarrett TM, Williams SK, Walker CH, Johns JM. Impact of gestational cocaine treatment or prenatal cocaine exposure on early postpartum oxytocin mRNA levels and receptor binding in the rat.Neuropeptides. 2008 Jun 23.
Johns JM, McMurray MS, Hofler VE, Jarrett TM, Middleton CL, Elliott DL, Mirza R, Haslup A, Elliott JC, Walker CH. Cocaine disrupts pup-induced maternal behavior in juvenile and adult rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2007 Jul 14.
Johns, J.M., McMurray, M. S., Hofler, V.E., Jarrett, T. M., Middleton, C.L., Elliott, D. L., Mirza, R., Elliott, J.C, and Walker, C.H. (2006) Cocaine Alters Rearing and Prenatal Environment to Disrupt Non-Lactational Maternal Behavior in Juvenile and Adult Rats.
Jarrett TM, McMurray MS, Walker CH, Johns JM. Cocaine treatment alters oxytocin receptor binding but not mRNA production in postpartum rat dams. Neuropeptides. 2006 Jun;40(3):161-7.
Johns JM, Elliott DL, Hofler VE, Joyner PW, McMurray MS, Jarrett TM, Haslup AM, Middleton CL, Elliott JC, Walker CH. Cocaine treatment and prenatal environment interact to disrupt intergenerational maternal behavior in rats. Behav Neurosci. 2005 Dec;119(6):1605-18.
Johns JM, Joyner PW, McMurray MS, Elliott DL, Hofler VE, Middleton CL, Knupp K, Greenhill KW, Lomas LM, Walker CH. The effects of dopaminergic/serotonergic reuptake inhibition on maternal behavior, maternal aggression, and oxytocin in the rat. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2005 Aug;81(4):769-85.
Light KC, Grewen KM, Amico JA, Boccia M, Brownley KA, Johns JM. Deficits in plasma oxytocin responses and increased negative affect, stress, and blood pressure in mothers with cocaine exposure during pregnancy. Addict Behav. 2004 Nov;29(8):1541-64.
Johns JM, Lubin DA, Walker CH, Joyner P, Middleton C, Hofler V, McMurray M. Gestational treatment with cocaine and fluoxetine alters oxytocin receptor number and binding affinity in lactating rat dams. Int J Dev Neurosci. 2004 Aug-Oct; 22(5-6):321-8.
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Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill