Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

Miguel de la Flor

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

I am a behavioral neuroscientist dedicated to understanding how aging alters cognitive processes such as learning and memory. My research focuses on how neuroimmune and metabolic pathways, particularly the kynurenine pathway, contribute to age-related cognitive decline. I aim to uncover mechanisms that underlie neural resilience and identify interventions that support cognitive health in older adults. I am equally committed to mentoring the next generation of scientists and fostering a collaborative research environment. Additionally, I am developing artificial intelligence tools can streamline scientific workflows, from literature review to data analysis and writing, to enhance research efficiency and innovation.

  • Professional Background

    Education

    • 2019 - PhD - University of Houston

    Honors

    • 2024 - Best Post-doctoral poster, 27th Annual Research Symposium, UT Health, San Antonio, Texas
    • 2024 - Outstanding Postdoc, 2nd place poster, 21st Annual Center for Biomedical Neuroscience Conference, UT Health, San Antonio, Texas

    Professional Memberships

    • Board Certified Medical Illustrator
    • Society for Neuroscience
  • Research

    I investigate how metabolic and inflammatory pathways contribute to cognitive decline during aging. My research centers on the kynurenine pathway, a tryptophan metabolic route that links immune activation, triggered by disease, injury, or aging, to neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and impaired cognition. Using genetic, behavioral, and physiological approaches in rodent models, I examine how deletion or modulation of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) affects age-related changes in learning and memory. I also explore how exercise interacts with metabolic resilience in aging. My long-term goal is to identify therapeutic strategies that promote healthy aging by targeting neuroimmune and metabolic mechanisms.

  • Publications
    1. Mithaiwala, M. N., Garrison, A. M., Subramanian, S. K., Acheson, A., de la Flor, M., O’Connor, J. C. (2025). Dysregulated Neuroimmune and Anhedonia-Like Behavioral Response Following Peripheral Immune Challenge in Mice Carrying the Val66Met Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor Polymorphism. Psychiatry International. (accepted).
    2. McMullen E, de la Flor M, O’Connor J, Roman G. (2025).  opynfield: an open-source Python package for the analysis of open field exploration data. Journal of Neuroinformatics. (accepted).
    3. de la Flor M, Kuhn-Sandoval N, Bucknor M, Santana Coelho D, Lozano D, Harrison S, Mithaiwala M, O’Connor J, Kokovay E. (2025). Kynurenine 3-Monooxygenase Deletion Preserves Non-Associative Learning and Subventricular Zone Neurogenesis in Aging Mice. (submitted).
    4. de la Flor M, Zhang S, Chen L, Gunaratne G, Dauwalder B, McMullen, E, Wang M, Garcia S, Le D, Roman G. (2025) Serotonin Modulates Goal-Seeking Habituation in Drosophila. (in preparation).
    5. Wayne C and de la Flor M. (2020). Unraveling the Epididymis: A Review of Its Structure and Function. HAPS Educator 24(1):562-69.
    6. 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.