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You are here: Home > Directories > Faculty > Josephine M. Johns, Ph.D.

Josephine M. Johns, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Johns

Email:  jjohns@med.unc.edu

Office Phone:  (919) 843-7732

Office Fax:  (919) 843-5730

 

Education:

B.A., Psychology, East Carolina University

M.A. Psychology, East Carolina University

Ph.D. Biological Psychology, University of Georgia

Postdoctoral training: Department of Pharmacology, East Carolina University Medical School

Research Fellowship, Brain and Development Research Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

 

Summary Statement:

Dr. Johns studies the effects of drugs of abuse, particularly psychostimulants, on maternal behavior and aggression and how prenatal exposure to drugs alters the behavioral and biological development of offspring in a rodent model. Her research techniques range from behavioral to molecular, which allows her in collaboration with other scientists to examine a problem from many different perspectives. Dr. Johns also collaborates on human research projects looking at hormonal determinants of social/maternal behavior.

 

Representative Publications:

  1. McMurray, M.S., Williams, S.K., Jarrett, T.M.; Cox, E.T.; Fay, E.E.; Overstreet, D.; Walker, C.; Johns, J.M. (2008) Gestational ethanol and nicotine alters maternal behavior, oxytocin levels, and offspring ethanol drinking in rats (epub ahead of print). Neurotoxicology and Teratology, DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2008.07.001.
  2. McMurray, M.S., Joyner, P.W., Middleton, C.W., Jarrett, T. M., Elliott, D.L., Black, M.A., Hofler, V.E., Walker, C.H., and Johns, J.M. (2008) Intergenerational effects of cocaine treatment and rearing environment on aggressive behavior and oxytocin in rats (epub ahead of print). Invited Stress, DOI: 10.1080/10253890701850239.
  3. McMurray, M.S., Cox, E.T., Jarrett, T.M., Williams, S.K., Walker, C.H., Johns, J.M. (2008) Impact of gestational cocaine treatment or prenatal cocaine exposure on early postpartum oxytocin mRNA levels and receptor binding in the rat (epub ahead of print). Neuropeptides, DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2008.05.003.
  4. Johns, J.M., McMurray, M.S., Hofler, V.E., Jarrett, T.M., Middleton, C.L., Elliott, D.L., Mirza, R., Haslup, A., Elliott, J.C., and Walker, C.H. (2007) Cocaine disrupts pup-induced maternal behavior in juvenile and adult rats. Neurotoxicology and Teratology 29: 634-641, DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2007.07.003.
  5. Jarrett, T.M., McMurray, M.S., Walker, C.H., and Johns, J.M. (2006) Cocaine treatment alters oxytocin mRNA production and receptor binding in postpartum rat dams. Neuropeptides 40(3): 161-167, DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2006.03.002.
  6. Johns, J.M., Elliott, D. L, Hofler, V.E., Joyner, P.W., McMurray, M. S., Jarrett, T. M., Haslup, A. M., Middleton, C.L., Elliott, J.C. and Walker, C.H. (2005) Cocaine Treatment and Prenatal Environment Interact to Disrupt Intergenerational Maternal Behavior in Rats. Behavioral Neuroscience, 119/6 pp 1605-1618.
  7. Johns, J.M., Joyner, P. W., McMurray, M. S., Elliot, D. A., Hofler, V. E., Knupp, K., Greenhill, K. W. and Walker, C. H. (2005) The Effects of Combined Dopaminergic / Serotonergic Reuptake Inhibition on Maternal Behavior, Maternal Aggression, and Oxytocin in the Rat Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 81/4 pp 769-785.
  8. Light, K.C., Grewen, K.M., Amico, J.A., Boccia, M., Brownley, K. & Johns, J. M. (2004) Deficits in Plasma Oxytocin Responses and Increased Negative Affect, Stress and Blood Pressure in Mothers with Cocaine Exposure during Pregnancy. Addictive Behaviors 29/8 pp 1541-1564.
  9. Johns, J.M, Lubin, D.A., Walker, C.H., Joyner, P. W., Middleton, C.L., Hofler, V. E. and McMurray, M. (2004) Gestational Treatment with Cocaine and Fluoxetine Alters Oxytocin Receptor Number and Binding Affinity in Lactating Rats Dams. (Invited article Special Issue: Developmental Aspects of Addiction - Edited by R.M. Booze and C.F. Mactutus) International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience,22 pp 321-328.
  10. Moy, S., Nadler, J., Perez, A., Barbaro, R, Johns, J., Magnuson, T., Piven, J. and Crawley, J. (2004). Sociability and Preference for Social Novelty in Five Inbred Strains: An Approach to Assess Autistic-like Behavior in Mice. Genes, Brain and Behavior, 3(5):287-302.
  11. Lubin, D.A., Elliott, J.C., Black, M.C.,& Johns, J.M. (2003). An Oxytocin Antagonist Infused into the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala Increases Maternal Aggressive Behavior. Behavioral Neuroscience, 117(2), 195-201.
  12. Lubin, D.A., Cannon, J.B., Black, M.C., Brown, L.E., & Johns, J.M.(2003). Effects of Chronic Cocaine on Monoamine Levels in Discrete Brain Structures of Lactating Rat Dams. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 74(2), 449-454.
  13. Phillips, P.E., Johns, J.M., Lubin, D.A., Budygin, E.A., Gainetdinov, R.R. Lieberman, J. A. and Wightman, R. M. (2003) Presynaptic Dopaminergic Function is Largely Unaltered in Mesolimbic and Mesostriatal Terminals of Adult Rats That Were Prenatally Exposed to Cocaine. Brain Research 961(1), 63-72.
  14. Johns, J.M., Lubin, D.A., Lieberman, J., and Lauder, J.M. (2002) Developmental Effects of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure on 5-HT1A Receptors in Male and Female Rat Offspring. Developmental Neuroscience, 24(6), 522-530.
  15. Elliott, J., Lubin, D.A., Walker, C.H. and Johns, J.M. (2001) Acute Cocaine Alters Oxytocin Levels in the Medial Preoptic Area and Amygdala of Lactating Rat Dams: Implications for Cocaine-Induced Changes in Maternal Behavior and Maternal Aggression. Neuropeptides, 35(2), 1-8.
  16. Lubin, D.A., Meter, K.E., Walker, C.H. and Johns, J.M. (2001) Dose Related Effects of Chronic Gestational Cocaine Treatment on Maternal Aggression in Rats on Postpartum Days 2, 3 and 5. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 25(7), 1421 -1433 (Invited paper).
  17. Lubin, D.A., Meter, K.E., Walker, C.H. and Johns, J.M. (2001) Effects of Chronic Cocaine Administration on Aggressive Behavior in Virgin Female Rats. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 25(7), 1403-1420. (Invited paper)
  18. Light, K.C., Smith, T.E., Johns, J.M., Hofheimer, J.A, and Amico, J.A. (2000) Oxytocin Responsivity in Mothers of Infants: An Initial Study of Relationships to Laboratory and Home Blood Pressure, Affect and Perceived Support, Health Psychology (Invited Paper) 19, 560-567.
  19. Overstreet, D.H., Moy, S.S., Lee R. G., Lubin, D.A., Lieberman, J.A., and Johns, J.M. (2000) Enduring Effects of Prenatal Cocaine Administration on Emotional Behavior in Rats. Physiology and Behavior 70, 149-156.