The research focus of the Maloney lab is the impact of genetic and environmental liabilities for intellectual and developmental disorders (IDD) on neural circuit function. Dr. Maloney has over 20 years of experience with rodent behavioral research with 30 co-authored empirical research manuscripts with rodent behavior.
The Maloney lab uses mouse models and a range of behavioral and neuroanatomical approaches to define consequences of autism spectrum condition (ASC)- and IDD-related genetic variants and environmental risk factors on behavior circuit output and underlying circuit function. We focus on developmental assays, social tasks, sensory/motor function, and learning and memory, and the participation of IDD liabilities in these circuits. In addition, we couple our behavioral analyses with neuroanatomical techniques along with protein and transcriptomic assays to interrogate the neurobiology underlying the behavioral phenotypes we define. We have identified unique and similar roles in neural circuit functions for genes implicated in IDDs such as ID, ASC, ADHD, Neurofibromatosis Type 1, Börjeson-Forssman-Lehmann syndrome, MYT1L Syndrome, Tatton-Brown-Rahman Syndrome (TBRS), and Williams Syndrome.
Dr. Maloney also leads the Animal Behavior Subunit of the Model Systems Core of the IDDRC@WUSTL and works closely with IDD investigators to understand behavior circuit function in their own models of IDD risk. In addition, she is the Assistant Director of the Animal Behavior Core at WUSTL.