Flanigan Laboratory

The Flanigan Laboratory studies the neurobiology underlying the effects of stress, alcohol, and drugs of abuse on social functioning in mouse models.

Research:
Impaired social behavior is a common symptom across different neuropsychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative disorders. However, there are currently no treatments available for normalizing social functioning in the context of any disorder. Research in the Flanigan Lab focuses on the neurobiological mechanisms mediating social behaviors in a healthy state and how these mechanisms may become disrupted in disease. In particular, we are interested in how exposure to stress, sleep deprivation, alcohol, or drugs of abuse alter social reward, aggression, social cognition, and social vigilance. To achieve this, we employ cutting-edge tools for monitoring and manipulating neural activity and gene expression in mouse models. We also employ machine learning based platforms for tracking and classifying mouse behavior, which allows us unprecedented unbiased insight into the specific behavioral motifs that are influenced by our manipulations. The lab is particularly interested in how a small epithalamic region called the lateral habenula (LHb) mediates social dysfunction. We hope that the scientific insights generated by our laboratory will contribute to the development of future treatments aimed at normalizing social behavior in the context of neuropsychiatric disorders like addiction, depression, and anxiety, and many others


Team:
Meghan Flanigan, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor

Dr. Flanigan earned her Ph.D. from Icahn School of Medicine of Mount Sinai in 2019, where she worked with Dr. Scott Russo investigating the neural circuitry underlying complex social behaviors. She did her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where she worked under Dr. Thomas Kash investigating the role of serotonin in the effects of alcohol on affective behaviors. She opened her lab at MUSC in May 2024. In her free time, Dr. Flanigan loves hiking, cooking, rock climbing, and going to concerts.

Lab Members:
Jordan Hopkins, M.Sc.
Lab Manager

Jordan received her bachelor's degree in Genetics from Clemson University and her M.Sc. in Neuroscience from the Medical University of South Carolina. The focus of her graduate studies was the involvement of reciprocal projections from the prefrontal and perirhinal cortex in methamphetamine-induced memory deficits in rats. Jordan joined the lab in May 2024 as lab manager to establish and maintain the laboratory space as well as manage the day-to-day responsibilities such as animal protocols and colony maintenance. Outside the lab, Jordan enjoys crafting, reading, cooking, and spending time with her children, husband, and dogs.


Flanigan Laboratory Recent Publications (2020-present):
M. Flanigan, C. Gianessi, M. Castle, W. Dorlean, T. Sides, and T.L. Kash. (2023b). Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis neurons expressing the serotonin receptor 5HT2c modulate alcohol self-administration behavior. Neuropsychopharmacology. In press. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37884740/

M. Flanigan, O. Hon, K.M. Boyt, S. D’Ambrosio, L. Hassanein, M. Castle, H.L. Haun, M.M. Pina, and T.L. Kash. (2023a) Sex-specific regulation of binge alcohol drinking, social, and arousal behaviors in mice by subcortical serotonin receptor 5HT2c-containing neurons. Nature Communications. In press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37002196/

A. Takahashi, R. Durand-de Cuttoli, M. Flanigan, E. Hasegawa, T. Tsenematsu, H. Aleyasin, Y. Cherasse, K. Miya, T. Okada, K. Keino-Masu, K. Mitsui, L. Li, V. Patel, R. Blitzer, M. Lazarus, K. Tanaka, A. Yamanaka, T. Sakurai, S. Ogawa, and S. Russo. Lateral habenula glutamatergic neurons projecting to the dorsal raphe nucleus promote aggressive arousal. (2022). Nature Communications. In press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35864121/

C. Morel, S. Montgomery, L. Li, S. Ku, B. Juarez, R. Durand-de Cuttoli, N. Tzavaras, M. Flanigan, M. Cai, J. Walsh, S. Russo, E.J. Nestler, E.S. Calipari, A.K. Friedman, and M.H. Han. Midbrain projection to basolateral amygdala encodes anxiety behavior. (2022). Nature Communications. In press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/35318315/

A. Takahashi, H. Aleyasin, M. Stavarache, L. Li, F. Cathomas, L. Parise, H. Lin, C.J. Burnett, A. Aubry, M. Flanigan, A. Brancato, C. Menard, M. Pfau, V. Kana, J. Wang, G. Hodes, T. Sasaki, M. Kaplitt, S. Ogawa, B. McEwen, and S. Russo. Neuromodulatory effect of cytokine in the dorsal raphe nucleus on individual difference of intermale aggression in mice. (2021). Molecular Psychiatry. In press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33931727/

K. Norman, H. Koike, J. Bateh, S. Lopez, K. Caro, D. Kato, K. Yamamuro, M. Flanigan, Y. Garkun, E. Nabel, D. Brady, C. Cho, J. Riceberg, M. Sadahiro, M. Demars, M.L. Shapiro, S.J. Russo, M.G. Baxter, P.H. Rudebeck, and H. Morishita. Post-error recruitment of frontal-sensory cortical projection promotes attentional behavior. (2021). Neuron. 109(7): 1202-1213. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33609483/

Unger*, J.P. Keller*, M. Altermatt*, R. Liang, C. Dong, O.J. Hon, Z. Yao, J. Sun, A. Matsui, D. Jaffe, M. Flanigan, S. Hartano, G.O. Mizuno, P.M. Borden, A.V. Shivange, S. Sinning, S.M. Underhill, J. Carlin, S. Banala, L.P. Cameron, D.E. Olson, S.G. Amara, D.T. Lang, G. Rudnick, J.S. Marvin, L.D. Lavis, H.A. Lester, V.A. Alvarez, A.J. Fisher, J. A. Prescher, V. Yarov-Yarovoy, T.L. Kash, V. Gradinaru, L. Looger, and L. Tian. (2020). Directed evolution of a selective and sensitive serotonin biosensor via machine learning. Cell. 183(7):1986-2002. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33333022/

K. Yamamuro, L. Bicks, M. Leventhal, S. Im, D. Kato, M. Flanigan, Y. Garkun, K.J. Norman, K. Caro, M. Sadahiro, K. Kullanter, S. Akbarian, S. Russo, and H. Morishita. (2020). Prefrontal circuitry in control of paraventricular thalamus requires juvenile social experience to establish adult sociability. Nature Neuroscience. 23(10):1240-1252. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32868932/

M. Flanigan, H. Aleyasin, L. Li, C.J. Burnett, K. Chan, K. LeClair, E.K. Lucas, B. Matikainen-Ankney, R. Durand-de Cuttoli, A. Takahashi, C. Menard, S. Golden, M. Pfau, S. Bouchard, E.S. Calipari, E.J. Nestler, R. DiLeone, A. Yamanaka, G. Huntley, R. Clem, and S. Russo. (2020). Orexin signaling in GABAergic lateral habenula neurons modulates aggressive behavior in male mice. Nature Neuroscience. 23, 638-650. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32284606/

Commentary on Flanigan et al. 2020: J. Webster and C. Wozny. (2020). Local lateral habenula interneurons mediate aggression. Current Biology. 30(16), 954-956. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32810460/

L. Bicks, K. Yamamuro, M. Flanigan, E.K. Lucas, H. Koike, M.S. Pent, R.L. Clem, S. Akbarian, S. Russo, and H. Morishita. (2020). Parvalbumin interneurons in the prefrontal cortex control social behavior in mice. Nature Communications. 11(1): 1-15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32081848/

M. Castle and M. Flanigan. (2024). The role of serotonin in excessive alcohol-consumption: A call for more research in females. Neurobiology of Stress. In press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38433994/

M. Flanigan and T. Kash. Coordination of social behaviors by the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. (2020) European Journal of Neuroscience. In press. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33006806/