Welcome to the Flores-Montoya Neuroimmunology and Neurotoxicology Lab!
The Neuroimmunology and Neurotoxicology Laboratory, led by Dr. Gisel Flores-Montoya, focuses on better understanding how neuroimmunology influences behavior in health and disease.
Our research is translational, meaning we use findings from human studies to inform the development of our hypotheses for animal studies and vice versa. We are currently examining the effects of chronic, low-level lead exposure on neuroimmune cells in the brain, meningeal lymphatics, and memory during early life using a C57BL/6j mouse model.
The ultimate goal of our laboratory is to conduct foundational studies to aid in the development of a treatment for childhood lead poisoning. We aim to specifically rescue the detrimental, life-long effects of chronic low-level lead exposure on memory in children. Our other research focus is to examine how the newly discovered meningeal lymphatic vessels surrounding the brain might influence memory in health and in disease (e.g. after pathogenic exposure).
Our laboratory is run by a team of undergraduate students supervised by Dr. Flores-Montoya and an undergraduate lab manager. We foster an inclusive, supportive, and collaborative research environment that encourages intellectual curiosity and creativity. In addition to conducting biological and behavioral testing, Flores-Montoya Lab students partake in weekly discussions of scientific journal articles, contribute to the article writing process, and present their work at a variety of regional conferences, including the Minnesota Undergraduate Psychology Conference (MUPC) and the Developmental Neurotoxicology Society (DNTS). Carleton students interested in joining the Flores-Montoya Lab are encouraged to apply via the Join Our Team page on the lab website.
