Sandra J. Kelly

Adjunct Faculty
Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience
Professor, Psychology Department
University of South Carolina
Postdoctoral Training University of Iowa,
Center for Behavioral Teratology (State University of New York, Albany)

Ph.D:McGill University

Research Focus:

The main focus of the research in my laboratory uses an animal model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder to investigate the effects of alcohol exposure during development on the nervous system and behavior. We have demonstrated that alcohol exposure during development has a significant impact on social behavior and the neural regions underlying social behavior. We are currently investigating the hypothesis that the alcohol-induced deficits in social behavior are due to alterations in the ability to process sensory signals. In addition, the possibility that environment can either mitigate or exacerbate some of alcohol's effects on social behavior is being investigated. Our research use automatic tracking of behavior, sophisticated behavioral observation techniques, psychopharmacological manipulations, neuroanatomical techniques, including Golgi and autoradiography, and neurochemical assays. We also have on-going collaborations with multiple investigators in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience.

Recent Publications

• Lawrence RC, Bonner HC, Newsom RJ, Kelly SJ (2007). Effects of alcohol exposure during development on play behavior and c-Fos expression in response to play behavior. Behav Brain Res 188: 209-218.

• Gass JT, Jenkins WJ, Marino MD, Lugo Jr  JN, Kelly SJ (2007). Alcohol exposure during development: Analysis of effects on female sexual behavior. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 31: 2065-2072.

• Newsom RH, Kelly SJ (2008). Prenatal tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) exposure disrupts social and open field behavior in male rats. Neurotoxicol Teratol 30: 213-219.

• Kelly SJ, Lawrence RC (2008). Intragastric intubations of alcohol during the perinatal period. In: Alcohol: Methods in Molecular Medicine, Nagy LE, ed, Humana Press, Totowa, NJ, pp. 104-112.