Dr. Mooney’s work has contributed to understanding that alcohol alters cell proliferation, migration, and death; all of which are critical for brain development. She has also examined the role of growth factors in these processes and shown that their expression and/or activity is altered by developmental exposure to alcohol. Ongoing work describes behavioral outcomes after acute or chronic exposure to alcohol. The acute alcohol exposure model allows understanding of how changes in anatomy, protein expression, and gene and microRNA expression in the brain align with behavioral changes. Dr. Mooney was the first to show that the timing of the alcohol exposure… 

defines the social behavior deficit, and that outcomes were sex- and age-dependent. These findings help to explain the spectrum of outcomes seen in the human population.

The lab also explores potential rescue therapy to ameliorate the effects of alcohol. Importantly, the focus is on therapies that are used after birth and could be translated into treatments for humans with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. New studies in the design or early stages investigate the gut microbiome and structure of the gastrointestinal tract and liver.