Timothy Flanigan Ph.D.
Staff Fellow — Division of Neurotoxicology
Timothy Flanigan, Ph.D.
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov
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About | Publications | Lab Members
Background
Dr. Timothy Flanigan began studying neuroscience as an undergraduate at East Tennessee State University where he was awarded an American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics undergraduate fellowship. He went on to pursue doctoral studies at the University of Memphis in experimental psychology with a concentration in behavioral neuroscience. There, working in labs largely funded by the Tennessee Mouse Genome Consortium, he studied the role of genetics in anxiety- and depression-like behavior using various mouse models. Afterwards, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Neurology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. During that time, he conducted research using the 5xFAD transgenic mouse model and investigated the potential of manipulating brain gangliosides as a treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease. In 2015, Dr. Flanigan was recruited to FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) as an ORISE postdoctoral fellow. He served on the NCTR/Center for Drug Evaluation and Research monograph team for nearly three years helping to create comprehensive reviews on over 50 compounds approved for over-the-counter use. During that time, he also conducted research examining the cognitive effects of chemotherapeutic agents, anesthesia, and developmental exposure to arsenic. In 2018, Dr. Flanigan was awarded the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society Richard Butcher New Investigator Award for his work on post-chemotherapeutic cognitive impairment and transitioned to a staff fellow role in the Division of Neurotoxicology. Since then, he has acted as principal investigator on an interagency agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration evaluating the behavioral pharmacology of synthetic stimulants, cannabinoids, and fentanyl analogs. He more recently has led a large study examining the potential of cannabidiol (CBD) to produce neurotoxicity during early development and is co-investigator on a study examining the long-term behavioral and physiological effects in offspring perinatally exposed to medications used to treat opioid use disorder in pregnant individuals.
Research Interests
Dr. Flanigan has broad interests in behavioral neuroscience and developmental neurotoxicology with a particular focus on the consequences of drug exposure during pregnancy. He is principally interested in cognitive and affective behaviors and modeling them in rodents. Likewise, he is interested in how genetics, early development and aging, and the environment interact with drugs and toxicants to affect these behaviors. Despite focusing his research on neuroscience, he retains interests fostered while pursuing a Ph.D. in an APA-accredited psychology program including learning, memory, and cognition; social determinants of disease; childhood development; and research design and analysis.
Professional Societies/National and International Groups
Society of Toxicoogy
Member
2023 – Present
Developmental Neurotoxicology and Teratology Society
Member
2024 – Present
Selected Publications
Assessment of Sex-Related Neuropathology and Cognitive Deficits in the Tg-SwDI Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
Setti S.E., Flanigan T., Hanig J., and Sarkar S.
Behav Brain Res. 2022, 428:113882.
Neurobehavioral and Neurochemical Effects of Perinatal Arsenite Exposure in Sprague-Dawley Rats.
Flanigan T.J., Ferguson S.A., Law C.D., Rosas-Hernandez H., Cuevas-Martinez E., Fitzpatrick S., and Shen A.N.
Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2022, 90:107059.
Developmental Neurotoxicity of Inorganic Arsenic Exposure in Sprague-Dawley Rats.
Moore C.L., Flanigan T.J., Law C.D., Loukotková L., Woodling K.A., da Costa G.G., Fitzpatrick S.C., and Ferguson S.A.
Neurotoxicol Teratol. 2019, 72:49-57.
Effects of Cyclophosphamide and/or Doxorubicin in a Murine Model of Postchemotherapy Cognitive Impairment.
Flanigan T.J., Anderson J.E., Elayan I., Allen A.R., and Ferguson S.A.
Toxicol Sci. 2018, 162(2):462-474. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfx267.
Plasmodium Infection Is Associated with Impaired Hepatic Dimethylarginine Dimethylaminohydrolase Activity and Disruption of Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitor/Substrate Homeostasis.
Chertow J.H., Alkaitis M.S., Nardone G., Ikeda A.K., Cunnington A.J., Okebe J., Ebonyi A.O., Njie M., Correa S., Jayasooriya S., Casals-Pascual C., Billker O., Conway D.J., Walther M., and Ackerman H.
PLoS Pathog. 2015, 11(9):e1005119.
Abnormal Vibrissa-Related Behavior and Loss of Barrel Field Inhibitory Neurons in 5xFAD Transgenics.
Flanigan T.J., Xue Y., Kishan Rao S., Dhanushkodi A., and McDonald M.P.
Genes Brain Behav. 2014, 13(5):488-500. doi: 10.1111/gbb.12133.
Effects of an Early Handling-Like Procedure and Individual Housing on Anxiety-Like Behavior in Adult C57BL/6J and DBA/2J Mice.
Flanigan T.J. and Cook M.N.
PLoS One. 2011, 6(4):e19058. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019058.
Acute Mild Footshock Alters Ethanol Drinking and Plasma Corticosterone Levels in C57BL/6J Male Mice, but Not DBA/2J or A/J Male Mice.
Matthews D.B., Morrow A.L., O'Buckley T., Flanigan T.J., Berry R.B., Cook M.N., Mittleman G., Goldowitz D., Tokunaga S., and Silvers J.M.
Alcohol. 2008, 42(6):469-76.
Neonatal Quinpirole Treatment Impairs Morris Water Task Performance in Early Postweanling Rats: Relationship to Increases in Corticosterone and Decreases in Neurotrophic Factors.
Brown R.W., Flanigan T.J., Thompson K.N., Thacker S.K., Schaefer T.L., and Williams M.T.
Biol Psychiatry. 2004, 56(3):161-8.
Lab Members
Contact information for all lab members:
(870) 543-7121
NCTRResearch@fda.hhs.gov
C. Delbert Law
Biological Science Technician
W. Drew Gill, Ph.D.
Biologist
- Contact Information
- Timothy Flanigan
- (870) 543-7121
- Expertise
-
ExpertiseApproachDomainTechnology & DisciplineToxicology