Assistant Professor

221 Psychology Building
Oxford, OH 45056
513-529-2415
mcmurrms@MiamiOH.edu
Curriculum Vitae
McMurray Lab

Teaching Interests

• Biopsychology
• Neuropsychopharmacology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Advanced Neuroscience
• Addiction
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Animal Models

Courses Taught

• PSY 251 | Introduction to Biological Psychology
• PSY 351 | Advanced Biopsychology
• PSY 320/352/490 | Broadening Undergraduate Research Participation in Behavioral Neuroscience (BURP-BN)
• PSY 410A | Senior Capstone in Addiction Neuroscience
• PSY 456/556 | Advanced Biological Basis of Behavior 
• CHM/CPB/MBI 436A | Fermentation Science (co-Instructor)
• PSY 710Z | Brain, Cognitive, and Developmental Seminar

Research Interests

My research program seeks to understand the neurobiological factors associated with decision-making, drug abuse, and adolescent development. It is particularly focused on how these factors change over the lifespan and interact with each other to drive complex behavior and disease. As opposed to focusing on any individual domain, this multidisciplinary perspective embraces the complexity of animal cognition and provides novel perspectives on the factors that regulate each individual domain. Each research project in my lab addresses multiple of these fundamental domains by combining rodent cognitive-behavioral paradigms with systems-level neuroscience and biochemical approaches. Our studies prioritize the assessment of neural function in awake and behaving animals, allowing us to draw causal relationships between neurophysiology and behavior.

Professional Recognition

• 2020 Student Recommendation of Teaching Excellence Award, Miami University
• 2019 Top 100 Most Commended Faculty, Center for Teaching Excellence, Miami University
• 2019 Faculty/Staff Recognition Award for Excellence in Pre-Health Education (student selected), Mallory-Wilson Center, Miami University
• 2017 Nominee, Outstanding Professor Award, Associated Student Government, Miami University
• 2009 NRSA Predoctoral Fellowship (NIDA 1F31DA026251)
• 2007 NIDA Predoctoral Training Grant (T32), UNC Department of Psychology
• 2006 NIAAA Predoctoral Training Grant (T32), UNC Center for Alcohol Studies
• 2005 NIDA Predoctoral Training Grant (T32), UNC Department of Psychology

Representative Publications

• Tapp DN G, Singstock MD U, Gottliebson M U, McMurray MS (2020) Central but not peripheral administration of oxytocin reduces risk-based decision-making in male rats. Hormones and Behavior 125: 104840.
• Tapp DN G, Zerkle HL U, McMurray MS (2020) Extent of food restriction affects probability but not delay-based decision-making. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 114(2): 179-192.
• Thompson SM G, Simmons AN U, McMurray MS (2020) The effects of multiple early life stressors on adolescent alcohol consumption. Behavioural Brain Research 380: 112449.
• Welch AC G, Zhang J, Lyu J, McMurray MS, Javitch JA, Kellendonk C, Dulawa SC (2019) Dopamine D2 receptor overexpression in the nucleus accumbens core induces robust weight loss during scheduled fasting selectively in female mice. Molecular Psychiatry (epub ahead of print).
• Ward RM, Lewis P, McMurray MS, Brinkman CS G, Taylor EA G, Witmer KA G, Bonar RN G (2019) Relationship between college student intoxication level and their recall of alcohol poisoning symptoms. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education 63(2): 18-34.
• Amodeo LR G, Jacobs-Brichford E G, McMurray MS, Roitman JD (2017) Acute and long-term effects of adolescent methylphenidate on decision-making and dopamine receptor mRNA expression in the orbitofrontal cortex. Behavioural Brain Research 324: 100-108.
• Amodeo LR G, McMurray MS, Roitman JD (2017) Orbitofrontal cortex reflects changes in response-outcome contingencies during probabilistic reversal learning. Neuroscience 345: 27-37.
• McMurray MS, Conway SM G, Roitman JD (2017) Brain stimulation reward supports more consistent and accurate rodent decision-making than food reward. eNeuro 4(2): e0015-17.2017.
• Ho EV U, Klenotich SJ, McMurray MS, Dulawa SC (2016) Activity-based anorexia alters the expression of BDNF transcripts in the mesocorticolimbic reward circuit. PLoS ONE 11(11): e0166756.

A complete list of publications can be found here: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jQMIWy0AAAAJ&hl=en