Skip to main content

Megan Mahoney Ph.D.

Profile picture for Megan Mahoney Ph.D.

Contact Information

3639 VMBSB
2001 S. Lincoln Ave.
Urbana IL 61802
Associate Professor, Comparative Biosciences
Research: Animal Behavior, Toxicology, Estrogen Signaling, Circadian Rhythms, and Menopause

Research Interests

-Circadian Rhythms

-Anxiety

-Estrogen Signaling

-Toxicology

-Menopause

Research Description

My innovative research brings together the fields of chronobiology, reproductive biology, and neurotoxicology. Biological rhythms are essential for life as they underlie a myriad of physiological processes from the sleep-wake cycle, metabolism, and immune function, to reproductive cyclicity and hormone secretion. I examine the influence of estradiol, estrogen receptor agonists, botanicals, and endocrine disrupting chemicals on daily sleep-wake activity patterns, anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, the behavioral and neural responses to light signals, and rhythms in protein and mRNA levels. My research is important as it addresses basic scientific questions such as:

  1. When and how do changes in hormone signals program the adult timekeeping or behavioral systems?
  2. How are sex differences in circadian rhythms regulated by circulating hormones?
  3. How do endocrine disrupting chemicals impact the brain and behavior? 

My lab has been the first to characterize when and how estrogen signaling mechanisms regulate the expression on behavioral and neural circadian rhythms. My work brings a new perspective to understanding how sex differences and hormones regulate biological rhythms in humans and other species.

 

Education

Ph.D. Dual degrees in Zoology and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior (EEBB)

Michigan State University

2003

Bachelor of Arts in Biology

Bates College (1993-1995)

1995

Smith College (1991-1993)

Biology Major

 

Grants

Carle Illinois Collaborative Research Seed Funding Program.

Impact of hormonal changes and environmental chemicals on sleep disruptions in a population of menopausal women.

 

Companion Animal Research Grant Program, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

The association of urinary phthalate metabolites with feline hyperthyroidism

 

NIH

Gender and sex differences in phthalate-induced toxicity in the reproductive system

 

Center for Social and Behavioral Science Small Grant Program, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

The influence of depression and modifiable lifestyle factors on sleep in menopausal women

Additional Campus Affiliations

Associate Professor, Comparative Biosciences
Director of Graduate Programs, Comparative Biosciences
Associate Professor, Psychology
Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences
Affiliate, Center for Social & Behavioral Science

Recent Publications

Hatcher, K. M., Smith, R. L., Chiang, C., Flaws, J. A., & Mahoney, M. M. (2023). Nocturnal Hot Flashes, but Not Serum Hormone Concentrations, as a Predictor of Insomnia in Menopausal Women: Results from the Midlife Women's Health Study. Journal of Women's Health, 32(1), 94-101. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2021.0502

Hatcher, K. M., Smith, R. L., Li, Z., Flaws, J. A., Davies, C. R., & Mahoney, M. M. (2022). Preliminary findings reveal that phthalate exposure is associated with both subjective and objective measures of sleep in a small population of midlife women. Maturitas, 157, 62-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2021.11.004

Balachandran, R. C., Hatcher, K. M., Sieg, M. L., Sullivan, E. K., Molina, L. M., Mahoney, M. M., & Eubig, P. A. (2020). Pharmacological challenges examining the underlying mechanism of altered response inhibition and attention due to circadian disruption in adult Long-Evans rats. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 193, Article 172915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2020.172915

Dailey, M. J., & Mahoney, M. M. (2020). Circadian Changes in Gut Peptide Levels and Obesity. In Neurological Modulation of Sleep: Mechanisms and Function of Sleep Health (pp. 25-34). Elsevier Inc.. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816658-1.00003-X

Hatcher, K. M., Smith, R. L., Chiang, C., Li, Z., Flaws, J. A., & Mahoney, M. M. (2020). Association of phthalate exposure and endogenous hormones with self-reported sleep disruptions: results from the Midlife Women's Health Study. Menopause, 27(11), 1251-1264. https://doi.org/10.1097/GME.0000000000001614

View all publications on Illinois Experts