Research Profile

Rachel D. Moloney

Biography

Biography Dr. Rachel D Moloney received a B.Sc. (Hons) in Biochemistry from UCC in 2009 after which she received an M.Sc. in Neuropharmacology from National University of Ireland, Galway (NUIG). She completed her Ph.D. in the Dept. of Psychiatry and Dept. Anatomy & Neuroscience, UCC in 2014, followed by post-doctoral research at APC Microbiome Ireland. Rachel then pursued post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, USA and the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. During this time, she was awarded a prestigious NARSAD Young Investigator Award from the Brain and Behaviour Research foundation (USA). In December 2019, Rachel took up her position as Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Dept. of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, University College Cork and in 2022 she progressed across the Merit bar.
Research Interests Rachel’s current research is focused on understanding the role of traumatic stress on brain circuitry and its impact on empathy-related behaviours, particularly in the context of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), pain, anxiety and depression. Her lab focuses on stress neurobiology across the lifespan, utilizing cutting edge tools such as chemogenetics and other viral vector strategies (TRAP) to manipulate specific brains areas and unravel neuronal circuits. In parallel with this, Rachel is interested in the role of the gut microbiome in mediating the bi-directional communication between these brain circuits and the gut, with the goal to elucidate potential pathways which may be targeted for future therapies of stress-related illnesses.    

Research Interests

Dr. Moloney's current research is focused on understanding the role of traumatic stress on brain circuitry and its impact on fear and social behaviours, particularly in the context of PTSD, anxiety and depression. Her lab focuses on stress neurobiology across the lifespan, utilizing cutting edge tools such as DREADDs to manipulate neuro-circuitry and to unravel these corticolimbic circuits. Dr. Moloney is also interested in the role of the brain-gut microbiome axis in stress-related illnesses as well as the impact of stress on pain sensitivity and spinal circuitry.

Research Grants

 ProjectFunding
Body
Start DateEnd DateAward
NARSAD Young Investigator AwardOther: Not Listed€70,000.00

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journals

 YearPublication
(2023)'Molecular neurobiology of loss: a role for basolateral amygdala extracellular matrix'
Smail MA;Smith BL;Shukla R;Alganem K;Eby HM;Bollinger JL;Parikh RK;Chambers JB;Reigle JK;Moloney RD;Nawreen N;Wohleb ES;Pantazopoulos H;McCullumsmith RE;Herman JP; (2023) 'Molecular neurobiology of loss: a role for basolateral amygdala extracellular matrix'. Molecular Psychiatry, [DOI] [Details]
(2023)'Gut microbiota alterations promote traumatic stress susceptibility associated with p-cresol-induced dopaminergic dysfunctions'
Laudani, S;Torrisi, SA;Alboni, S;Bastiaanssen, TFS;Benatti, C;Rivi, V;Moloney, RD;Fuochi, V;Furneri, PM;Drago, F;Salomone, S;Tascedda, F;Cryan, JF;Leggio, GM (2023) 'Gut microbiota alterations promote traumatic stress susceptibility associated with p-cresol-induced dopaminergic dysfunctions'. Brain Behav Immun, 107 :385-396 [DOI] [Details]
(2023)'Adolescent Stress Confers Resilience to Traumatic Stress Later in Life: Role of the Prefrontal Cortex'
Cotella EM;Nawreen N;Moloney RD;Martelle SE;Oshima KM;Lemen P;NiBlack JN;Julakanti RR;Fitzgerald M;Baccei ML;Herman JP; (2023) 'Adolescent Stress Confers Resilience to Traumatic Stress Later in Life: Role of the Prefrontal Cortex'. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 3 (2) [DOI] [Details]
(2023)'Improving Translational Relevance in Preclinical Psychopharmacology (iTRIPP)'
Bailey SJ;Bast T;Chaby L;Kinon BJ;Harte MK;Mead S;Moloney RD;Ragan I;Stanford SC;Tricklebank MD;Zervas M;Ajram LA; (2023) 'Improving Translational Relevance in Preclinical Psychopharmacology (iTRIPP)'. Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), [DOI] [Details]
(2020)'Enduring behavioral effects induced by birth by caesarean section in the mouse'
Morais, Livia H.; Golubeva, Anna V.; Moloney, Gerard M.; Moya-Pérez, Angela; Ventura-Silva, Ana Paula; Arboleya, Silvia; Bastiaanssen, Thomaz F. S.; O'Sullivan, Orla; Rea, Kieran; Borre, Yuliya E.; Scott, Karen A.; Patterson, Elaine; Cherry, Paul; Stilling, Roman M.; Hoban, Alan E.; El Aidy, Sahar; Sequeira, Ana M.; Beers, Sasja; Moloney, Rachel D.; Renes, Ingrid B.; Wang, Shugui; Knol, Jan; Ross, R. Paul; O'Toole, Paul W.; Cotter, Paul D.; Stanton, Catherine; Dinan, Timothy G.; Cryan, John F. (2020) 'Enduring behavioral effects induced by birth by caesarean section in the mouse'. Current Biology, [DOI] [Full Text] [Details]
(2020)'Chemogenetic Inhibition of Infralimbic Prefrontal Cortex GABAergic Parvalbumin Interneurons Attenuates the Impact of Chronic Stress in Male Mice'
Nawreen N;Cotella EM;Morano R;Mahbod P;Dalal KS;Fitzgerald M;Martelle S;Packard BA;Franco-Villanueva A;Moloney RD;Herman JP; (2020) 'Chemogenetic Inhibition of Infralimbic Prefrontal Cortex GABAergic Parvalbumin Interneurons Attenuates the Impact of Chronic Stress in Male Mice'. Eneuro, 7 (5) [DOI] [Details]
(2020)'Lasting Impact of Chronic Adolescent Stress and Glucocorticoid Receptor Selective Modulation in Male and Female Rats'
Cotella EM;Morano RL;Wulsin AC;Martelle SM;Lemen P;Fitzgerald M;Packard BA;Moloney RD;Herman JP; (2020) 'Lasting Impact of Chronic Adolescent Stress and Glucocorticoid Receptor Selective Modulation in Male and Female Rats'. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 112 [DOI] [Details]
(2019)'Braking the Prefrontal Cortex: The Role of Glucocorticoids and Interneurons in Stress Adaptation and Pathology'
McKlveen, J. M. and Moloney, R. D. and Scheimann, J. R. and Myers, B. and Herman, J. P. (2019) 'Braking the Prefrontal Cortex: The Role of Glucocorticoids and Interneurons in Stress Adaptation and Pathology'. Biological Psychiatry, 86 (9):669-681   [DOI] [Details]
(2019)'Conditional deletion of glucocorticoid receptors in rat brain results in sex-specific deficits in fear and coping behaviors'
Scheimann, J. R. and Moloney, R. D. and Mahbod, P. and Moreno, R. L. and Fitzgerald, M. and Hoskins, O. and Packard, B. A. and Cotella, E. M. and Hu, Y. C. and Herman, J. P. (2019) 'Conditional deletion of glucocorticoid receptors in rat brain results in sex-specific deficits in fear and coping behaviors'. Elife, 8   [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'Targeting the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Prebiotics Have Anxiolytic and Antidepressant-like Effects and Reverse the Impact of Chronic Stress in Mice'
Burokas, A. and Arboleya, S. and Moloney, R. D. and Peterson, V. L. and Murphy, K. and Clarke, G. and Stanton, C. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2017) 'Targeting the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis: Prebiotics Have Anxiolytic and Antidepressant-like Effects and Reverse the Impact of Chronic Stress in Mice'. Biological Psychiatry, 82 (7):472-487   [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'Microbial regulation of microRNA expression in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex'
Hoban, A. E. and Stilling, R. M. and Moloney, G. M. and Moloney, R. D. and Shanahan, F. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. and Clarke, G. (2017) 'Microbial regulation of microRNA expression in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex'. Microbiome, 5   [DOI] [Details]
(2017)'BEHAVIOURAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL CONSEQUENCES OF CHRONIC GUT MICROBIOTA DEPLETION DURING ADULTHOOD IN THE RAT (vol 339, pg 463, 2016)'
Hoban, A. E. and Moloney, R. D. and Golubeva, A. V. and Neufeld, K. A. M. and O'Sullivan, O. and Patterson, E. and Stanton, C. and Dinan, T. G. and Clarke, G. and Cryan, J. F. (2017) 'BEHAVIOURAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL CONSEQUENCES OF CHRONIC GUT MICROBIOTA DEPLETION DURING ADULTHOOD IN THE RAT (vol 339, pg 463, 2016)'. Neuroscience, 344 :418-418   [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Mechanisms of Stress-Induced Visceral Pain: Implications in Irritable Bowel Syndrome'
Greenwood-Van Meerveld, B. and Moloney, R. D. and Johnson, A. C. and Vicario, M. (2016) 'Mechanisms of Stress-Induced Visceral Pain: Implications in Irritable Bowel Syndrome'. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 28 (8)   [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in Central Nervous System Diseases'
Golubeva, A. V. and Moloney, R. D. and O'Connor, R. M. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2016) 'Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors in Central Nervous System Diseases'. Current Drug Targets, 17 (5):538-616   [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Targeting Epigenetic Mechanisms for Chronic Pain: A Valid Approach for the Development of Novel Therapeutics'
Ligon, C. O. and Moloney, R. D. and Greenwood-Van Meerveld, B. (2016) 'Targeting Epigenetic Mechanisms for Chronic Pain: A Valid Approach for the Development of Novel Therapeutics'. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 357 (1):84-93   [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Stress and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Visceral Pain: Relevance to Irritable Bowel Syndrome'
Moloney, R. D. and Johnson, A. C. and O'Mahony, S. M. and Dinan, T. G. and Meerveld, B. G. V. and Cryan, J. F. (2016) 'Stress and the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Visceral Pain: Relevance to Irritable Bowel Syndrome'. Cns Neuroscience & Therapeutics, 22 (2):102-117   [DOI] [Details]
(2016)'Estrous cycle influences excitatory amino acid transport and visceral pain sensitivity in the rat: effects of early-life stress'
Moloney, R. D. and Sajjad, J. and Foley, T. and Felice, V. D. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. and O'Mahony, S. M. (2016) 'Estrous cycle influences excitatory amino acid transport and visceral pain sensitivity in the rat: effects of early-life stress'. Biology of Sex Differences, 7   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Prenatal stress-induced alterations in major physiological systems correlate with gut microbiota composition in adulthood'
Golubeva, A. V. and Crampton, S. and Desbonnet, L. and Edge, D. and O'Sullivan, O. and Lomasney, K. W. and Zhdanov, A. V. and Crispie, F. and Moloney, R. D. and Borre, Y. E. and Cotter, P. D. and Hyland, N. P. and O'Halloran, K. D. and Dinan, T. G. and O'Keeffe, G. W. and Cryan, J. F. (2015) 'Prenatal stress-induced alterations in major physiological systems correlate with gut microbiota composition in adulthood'. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 60 :58-74   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Gut microbiota depletion from early adolescence in mice: Implications for brain and behaviour'
Desbonnet, L. and Clarke, G. and Traplin, A. and O'Sullivan, O. and Crispie, F. and Moloney, R. D. and Cotter, P. D. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2015) 'Gut microbiota depletion from early adolescence in mice: Implications for brain and behaviour'. Brain Behavior and Immunity, 48 :165-173   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Negative allosteric modulation of the mGlu7 receptor reduces visceral hypersensitivity in a stress-sensitive rat strain'
Moloney, R. D. and Golubeva, A. V. and O'Connor, R. M. and Kalinichev, M. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2015) 'Negative allosteric modulation of the mGlu7 receptor reduces visceral hypersensitivity in a stress-sensitive rat strain'. Neurobiology of Stress, 2 :28-33   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Stress-induced visceral pain: toward animal models of irritable-bowel syndrome and associated comorbidities'
Moloney, R. D. and O'Mahony, S. M. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2015) 'Stress-induced visceral pain: toward animal models of irritable-bowel syndrome and associated comorbidities'. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 6   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Enhancing glutamatergic transmission during adolescence reverses early-life stress-induced deficits in the rewarding effects of cocaine in rats'
O'Connor, R. M. and Moloney, R. D. and Glennon, J. and Vlachou, S. and Cryan, J. F. (2015) 'Enhancing glutamatergic transmission during adolescence reverses early-life stress-induced deficits in the rewarding effects of cocaine in rats'. Neuropharmacology, 99 :168-176   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Strain-dependent variations in visceral sensitivity: relationship to stress, anxiety and spinal glutamate transporter expression'
Moloney, R. D. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2015) 'Strain-dependent variations in visceral sensitivity: relationship to stress, anxiety and spinal glutamate transporter expression'. Genes Brain and Behavior, 14 (4):319-329   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Early-life stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity and anxiety behavior is reversed by histone deacetylase inhibition'
Moloney, R. D. and Stilling, R. M. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2015) 'Early-life stress-induced visceral hypersensitivity and anxiety behavior is reversed by histone deacetylase inhibition'. Neurogastroenterology and Motility, 27 (12):1831-1836   [DOI] [Details]
(2014)'Toll-Like Receptor 4 Regulates Chronic Stress-Induced Visceral Pain in Mice'
Tramullas, M. and Finger, B. C. and Moloney, R. D. and Golubeva, A. V. and Moloney, G. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2014) 'Toll-Like Receptor 4 Regulates Chronic Stress-Induced Visceral Pain in Mice'. Biological Psychiatry, 76 (4):340-348   [DOI] [Details]
(2014)'Negative Allosteric Modulation of the mGlu7 Receptor Reduces Visceral Ypersensitivity in a Sress-Sensitive Rat Strain'
Moloney, R. D. and O'Connor, R. M. and Kalinichev, M. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2014) 'Negative Allosteric Modulation of the mGlu7 Receptor Reduces Visceral Ypersensitivity in a Sress-Sensitive Rat Strain'. Current Neuropharmacology, 12 :42-43   [Details]
(2014)'The microbiome: stress, health and disease'
Moloney, R. D. and Desbonnet, L. and Clarke, G. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2014) 'The microbiome: stress, health and disease'. Mammalian Genome, 25 (1-2):49-74   [DOI] [Details]
(2013)'The microbiome-gut-brain axis during early life regulates the hippocampal serotonergic system in a sex-dependent manner'
Clarke, G. and Grenham, S. and Scully, P. and Fitzgerald, P. and Moloney, R. D. and Shanahan, F. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2013) 'The microbiome-gut-brain axis during early life regulates the hippocampal serotonergic system in a sex-dependent manner'. Molecular Psychiatry, 18 (6):666-673   [DOI] [Details]
(2012)'Early-life stress induces visceral hypersensitivity in mice'
Moloney, R. D. and O'Leary, O. F. and Felice, D. and Bettler, B. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2012) 'Early-life stress induces visceral hypersensitivity in mice'. Neuroscience Letters, 512 (2):99-102   [DOI] [Details]

Book Chapters

 YearPublication
(2016)'Epigenetics of Pain Management'
Greenwood-Van Meerveld, B. and Prusator, D. K. and Ligon, C. O. and Johnson, A. C. and Moloney, R. D. (2016) 'Epigenetics of Pain Management' In: Medical Epigenetics. London: ACADEMIC PRESS LTD-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD.   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)'Microbiota Regulation of the Mammalian Gut-Brain Axis'
Burokas, A. ;Moloney, R. D. ;Dinan, T. G. ;Cryan, J. F. (2015) 'Microbiota Regulation of the Mammalian Gut-Brain Axis' In: Advances in Applied Microbiology. San Diego: ELSEVIER ACADEMIC PRESS INC. [Details]
(2015)'Visceral pain and psychiatric disorders'
Felice V.;Moloney R.;Cryan J.;Dinan T.;O'Mahony S. (2015) 'Visceral pain and psychiatric disorders' In: Modern Trends in Pharmacopsychiatry. Basel: Karger. [DOI] [Details]
(2014)'The Impact of Microbiota on Brain and Behavior: Mechanisms & Therapeutic Potential'
Borre, Y. E. ;Moloney, R. D. ;Clarke, G. ;Dinan, T. G. ;Cryan, J. F. (2014) 'The Impact of Microbiota on Brain and Behavior: Mechanisms & Therapeutic Potential' In: Microbial Endocrinology: the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Health and Disease. New York: SPRINGER. [Details]

Conference Publications

 YearPublication
(2016)Targeting the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors in the central amygdala for the treatment of stress-induced pain; implications for irritable bowel syndrome
Moloney, R. D. and Johnson, A. C. and Ligon, C. O. and Greenwood-Van Meerveld, B. (2016) Targeting the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors in the central amygdala for the treatment of stress-induced pain; implications for irritable bowel syndrome Targeting the glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors in the central amygdala for the treatment of stress-induced pain; implications for irritable bowel syndrome , pp.98-98   [Details]
(2015)ISPNE
Moloney, R. D. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2015) Stress & the microbiota-gut-brain axis in visceral pain ISPNE , pp.8-8   [DOI] [Details]
(2015)Group III mGlu receptors in the brain and periphery: Implications for visceral pain
Golubeva, A. V. and Moloney, R. D. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2015) Group III mGlu receptors in the brain and periphery: Implications for visceral pain Group III mGlu receptors in the brain and periphery: Implications for visceral pain , pp.6-7   [DOI] [Details]
(2012)The microbiome-gut-brain axis as a regulator of serotonergic neurotransmission and behaviour
Clarke, G;Grenham, S;Scully, P;Fitzgerald, P;Moloney, R;Shanahan, F;Dinan, T;Cryan, J (2012) The microbiome-gut-brain axis as a regulator of serotonergic neurotransmission and behaviour The microbiome-gut-brain axis as a regulator of serotonergic neurotransmission and behaviour , pp.149-149 [Details]
(2012)Strain differences in visceral nociception, anxiety and depression-like behaviour: Responses of 12 mouse strains
Moloney, R. D. and Dinan, T. G. and Cryan, J. F. (2012) Strain differences in visceral nociception, anxiety and depression-like behaviour: Responses of 12 mouse strains Strain differences in visceral nociception, anxiety and depression-like behaviour: Responses of 12 mouse strains , pp.145-145   [Details]

Professional Activities

Honours and Awards

 YearTitleAwarding Body
2018NARSAD Young Investigator Award Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (USA)
2016Research Excellence Award University of Oklahoma- Dept. of Physiology
2015OCNS Translational Research Grant Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience
2014Pain Research Medal Irish Pain Society

Professional Associations

 AssociationFunctionFrom / To
Society for Neuroscience member/
Neuroscience Ireland member/
Federation of European Neuroscience Societies member/

Committees

 CommitteeFunctionFrom / To
School of Pharmacy Teaching and Curriculum member/

Journal Activities

 JournalRoleTo / From
Neurobiology Of Stress Referee-
Nature Neuroscience Referee-
Scientific Reports Referee-
Neuropharmacology Referee-
Physiology And Behaviour Referee-
Neurogastroenterol & Motility Referee-
Brain Behav Immun Referee-
Brain Research Referee-
Acta Neuropsychiatrica Referee-
Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology Referee-

Teaching Activities

Teaching Interests

PT1445 (Module coordinator)
PT2448 (Module coordinator)
PF2011
PF3009
PF3012
PF4014
PF4016
PF6421
PT4023
PT4024
MH4010
PT6401 (Module coordinator)


Research Information

External Collaborators

 NameOrganisation / InstituteCountry
Dr. Evelin M. Cotella University of CincinnatiU.S.A.
Prof. James P Herman University of CincinnatiU.S.A.

Contact details


  • Funded Investigator

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School of Pharmacy

Cógaisíocht

Pharmacy Building Room UG06 University College Cork

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