
Jason C. O’Connor, PhD
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor
I am interested in understanding the complex interactions between the immune system and the brain, with an emphasis on inflammation-induced neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental diseases. We have identified the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism as an important mediator of the effects of proinflammatory factors in the brain, including microglial activity, neuronal architecture, behavior and cognition. Currently, projects in the lab are exploring the (1) effects of neurotoxic kynurenine metabolites on depressive behaviors and cognitive function (2) the neurodevelopmental consequences of prenatal inflammation (3) and the role of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor in regulating neuroinflammation.
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Natalia R. Kuhn-Sandoval, BS, MPH
Senior Research Assistant
I have a BS in Genetics from Texas A&M University and an MPH from Texas A&M University School of Rural Public Health. I have many years of experience collecting, maintaining and analyzing large data sets and a comprehensive background with planning, scheduling, executing, analyzing, troubleshooting, and reporting results for scientific research projects. I have worked with different animal models including American buffalo, baboon, rhesus macaque, mice, and even humans. I enjoy learning new laboratory skills and technologies as needed to accomplish research goals. Lastly, I really love meeting all of the brilliant and talented people in this field and cultivating positive and productive working relationships with everyone I meet.
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Danielle Santana Coelho, Msc, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Education: Ph.D., Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
M.Sc., Neuroscience, Universidade Federal do Para
B.S., Biomedical Sciences, Universidade Federal do Para
Research Interests: My research interests are focused on elucidating how genetic susceptibility and environmental insults during the perinatal period result in the development of brain disorders. One of the lines of research that I work with aims to understand how inflammation during gestation disrupts neurodevelopment processes leading to behavioral deficits.
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Miguel (Mike) de la Flor, PhD, CMI
Postdoctoral Fellow
I am fascinated by the neural mechanisms underlying behavior, particularly the molecular pathways and circuits driving cognition, including learning, memory, decision-making, and perception. As a postdoctoral fellow at UTHSCSA, I study how kynurenine pathway metabolites may affect the mouse brain, focusing on KMO inhibition as a potential neuroprotective strategy in aging, disease, or stroke.
During my PhD at the University of Houston, I identified a putative serotonin-dependent Dorsal Paired Medial neuron and Mushroom Body circuit in the Drosophila brain that may modulate novelty habituation and demonstrated the role of the d5-HT1A receptor in mushroom body for habituation.
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Bria W. Moore, MS
Graduate Student
I am a doctoral student in the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Neuroscience discipline at UT Health San Antonio. While serving as an active-duty Combat Medic in the U.S. Army I earned both my master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Neuroscience from the University of Texas at San Antonio. My previous research focused on neuronal representations in fear generalization and mitochondrial oxidative stress in aging and neurodegeneration. Currently, I am investigating how kynurenine metabolism is regulated between the brain and periphery and its impact on behavior and cognition, aiming to uncover mechanisms linking metabolic processes to behavioral changes and cognitive function.

Enrique Piedra, BS
Graduate Student
I’m a neuroscience graduate student in the Integrated Biomedical Sciences Program (IBMS) at UT Health San Antonio. I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio, where I majored in Psychology and minored in Chemistry. My research interests center on the intricate interplay of immunoregulation, cognition, and neurodegeneration. Currently, I am focused on studying the Kynurenine pathway and its impact on brain function and behavior.
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Mustafa Mithaiwala, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Former Lab Member
Mustafa Mithaiwala completed his PhD in 2022, having been a doctoral student in Dr. O’Connor’s lab from 2016 to 2022. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Ashley Acheson’s Neurodevelopmental Risk and Resilience program within the Psychiatric Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.