Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Miguel (Mike) de la Flor
Post Doctoral Research Fellow
Mentor: Dr. Erzsebet Kokovay
Email: delaflor@uthscsa.edu
Education
2019 | PhD | University of Houston |
Research
How neurons control behaviors is a major research interest for me. Specifically, I am interested in investigating the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in cognition such as learning and memory, decision-making and perception.
In my PhD career at the University of Houston I characterized the role of serotonergic (5-HT) signaling in novelty habituation, a form or learning and memory, in the Drosophila brain. My findings from pharmacological and transgenic (including circuit-breaking optogenetic and thermogenetic) experiments identified distinct 5-HT secreting neurons that may modulate specialized circuits that regulate habituation to novelty.
I am also interested in the translation of basic science research to novel clinical applications and therapies to mitigate the impact of neurodegenerative diseases. As a result, in the lab of Dr. Kokovay at UTHSCSA I investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms that may, in an age-dependent manner, regulate neurogeneis in the mouse ventricular-subventricular zone and hippocampus.
Professional Memberships
Board Certified Medical Illustrator | Association of Medical Illustrators |
Publications
- de la Flor M, Zhang S, Chen L, Gunaratne G, Dauwalder B, Garcia S, Wang M, Roman G. (2020) A dorsal paired medial neuron-mushroom body circuit that modulates habituation during exploration in Drosophila. Manuscript in preliminary preparation.
- Wayne C and de la Flor M. (2020).Unraveling the Epididymis: A Review of Its Structure and Function. HAPS Educator 24(1):562-69.
- de la Flor M, Chen L, Manson-Bishop C, Chu T-C, Zamora K, Robbins D, Gunarante G, Roman G. (2017) Drosophila increase exploration after visually detecting predators. PLoS ONE 12(7): e0180749.