Michele M. Mulholland, M.A., Ph.D.
Department of Comparative Medicine, Division of Discovery Science
About Dr. Michele M. Mulholland
Dr. Mulholland has been studying nonhuman primates since 2007. First interested in studying their natural behavior, then the neurobiology underlying behavior, and finally as models in biomedical research. Dr. Mulholland completed a PhD in Psychology with a focus on neuroscience and behavior in 2017 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She subsequently completed postdoctoral fellowships through Georgia State University 2018-2019 and MD Anderson Cancer Center 2019-2022. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Comparative Medicine. Her research focuses on cognitive neuroscience, specifically cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration related to aging, disease, and disease treatment.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Medicine, Division of Discovery Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX
Research Affiliate, Department of College of Nursing, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2017 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, US, Area: Neuroscience and Behavior, Ph.D. in Psychology |
Postgraduate Training
| 2020-2022 | Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, Texas |
| 2018-2019 | Next Generation Postdoctoral Scholar, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia |
Experience & Service
Other Appointments/Responsibilities
Consultant, Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 2024 - 2024
Adjunct Faculty, MiraCosta College, Oceanside, California, 2015 - 2017
Adjunct Faculty, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, California, 2014 - 2017
Adjunct Faculty, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2013 - 2014
Adjunct Faculty, Union College, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2012 - 2012
Graduate Instructor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, 2011 - 2015
Graduate Instructor, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, California, 2008 - 2010
Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Institutional MR Safety Committee, 2024 - Present
Member, Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) Superuser Group, 2024 - Present
Honors & Awards
| National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program Award, NIH | |
| Letters to a Pre-Scientist Award for Excellent Explanations, Letters to a Pre-Scientist |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Hopkins WD, Spocter MA, Mulholland MM, Sherwood CC. Gray matter volume and asymmetry in Broca’s and Wernicke’s area homologs in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) using a probabilistic region of interest approach. NeuroImage 307(None):121038, 2025. e-Pub 2024. PMID: None.
- Achorn AM, Mulholland MM, Cox CM, Phillips K, Bennett AJ, Pierre P, Sherwood C, Schapiro SJ, Hopkins WD. Planum temporale asymmetries in primates: A comparative study in great apes and monkeys. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 186(None):e25060, 2025. e-Pub 2024. PMID: None.
- Mulholland MM, Stuifbergen A, De La Torre Schutz A, Franco-Rocha OY, Blayney DW, Kesler SR. Evidence of compensatory neural hyperactivity in a subgroup of chemotherapy-treated breast cancer survivors and its association with brain aging. Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience 16(None):1421703, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: None.
- Mulholland MM, Whitham W, Berkey M, Pytka L, Pierre P, Hopkins WD. Implementation of automated cognitive testing systems (ACTS) for socially-housed rhesus (Macaca mulatta) and squirrel (Saimiri spp.) monkeys: Relationships between age and learning. Journal of Comparative Psychology None(None):None, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: None.
- Mulholland MM, Nehete BP, DeLise A, Achorn AM, Pytka LM, Nehete PN. Age-associated alterations in immune and inflammatory responses in captive olive baboons (Papio anubis). Frontiers in Aging 5(None):1511370, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: None.
- Mulholland, MM, Hecht, EE, Wesley, MJ, Hopkins, WD. Long term impacts of early social environment on chimpanzee white matter. Scientific reports 14(1), 2024. PMID: 39622904.
- Mulholland, MM, Meguerditchian, A, Hopkins, WD. Age- and sex-related differences in baboon (Papio anubis) gray matter covariation. Neurobiology of Aging 125:41-48, 2023. PMID: 36827943.
- Mulholland MM, Prinsloo S, Kvale E, Dula AN, Palesh O, Kesler SR. Behavior and biologic characteristics of cancer-related cognitive impairment biotypes. Brain Imaging and Behavior 17(3):320-328, 2023. PMID: 37127832.
- Hopkins, WD, Mulholland, MM, Latzman, RD. Characterizing the personality and gray matter volume of chimpanzees that exhibit autism-related socio-communicative phenotypes. Personality Neuroscience 6, 2023. PMID: 38107781.
- Hopkins WD, Staes N, Guevara EE, Mulholland MM, Sherwood CC, Bradley BJ. Vasopressin, and not oxytocin, receptor gene methylation is associated with individual differences in receptive joint attention in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Autism Research 16(4):713-722, 2023. PMID: 36738470.
- Hopkins WD, Li X, Roberts N, Mulholland MM, Sherwood CC, Edler MK, Raghanti MA, Schapiro SJ. Age differences in cortical thickness and their association with cognition in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). Neurobiology of Aging 126:91-102, 2023. PMID: 36958104.
- Achorn, AM, Mulholland, MM, Hopkins, WD. The effects of early rearing experiences on mutual eye gaze among captive olive baboons (Papio anubis). Developmental Psychobiology 65(7), 2023. PMID: 37860908.
- Hopkins WD, Mulholland MM, Mareno MC, Neal Webb SJ, Schapiro SJ. Neuroanatomical correlates of individual differences in the object choice task in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Front Psychol 13, 2022. PMID: 36507015.
- Mulholland MM, Schapiro SJ, Sherwood CC, Hopkins WD. Phenotypic and genetic associations between gray matter covariation and tool use skill in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Repeatability in two genetically isolated populations. Neuroimage 257, 2022. PMID: 35551989.
- Bennett AJ, Pierre PJ, Wesley MJ, Latzman R, Schapiro SJ, Mareno MC, Bradley BJ, Sherwood CC, Mulholland MM, Hopkins WD. Predicting their past: Machine language learning can discriminate the brains of chimpanzees with different early-life social rearing experiences. Dev Sci 24(6):e13114, 2021. PMID: 34180109.
- Hopkins WD, Staes N, Mulholland MM, Schapiro SJ. Gray matter variation in the posterior superior temporal gyrus is associated with polymorphisms in the KIAA0319 gene in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). eNeuro 8(6), 2021. PMID: 34815295.
- Schapiro SJ, Neal Webb SJ, Mulholland MM, Lambeth SP. Behavioral management is a key component of ethical research. ILAR Journal 60(3):389-396, 2021. PMID: 33434922.
- Mulholland MM, Sherwood CC, Schapiro SJ, Raghanti MA, Hopkins WD. Age- and cognition-related differences in the gray matter volume of the chimpanzee brain (Pan troglodytes): A voxel-based morphometry and conjunction analysis. Am Primatol 83(11), 2021. PMID: 33899958.
- Mulholland MM, Neal Webb SJ, Mareno MC, Schweller KG, Schapiro SJ, Hopkins WD. Are conspecific social videos rewarding to chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)? A test of the social motivation theory in captive chimpanzees. PLOSone 16(11), 2021. PMID: 34818358.
Book Chapters
- Manciocco A, Neal SJ, Mulholland MM. Behavioral biology of marmosets. In: Behavioral Biology of Laboratory Animals. None. CRC Press, None, 2021.
- Neal Webb SJ, Mulholland MM, Hau J, Schapiro SJ. Reduction and refinement applied to laboratory animals. In: Handbook of Laboratory Animal Science. 4. CRC Press, 961-972, 2021.
- Mulholland MM, Neal Webb SJ, Schapiro SJ. Behavioral needs and management of laboratory animals. In: Handbook of Laboratory Animal Science. 4. CRC Press, 109-122, 2021.
- Mulholland MM, Neal Webb SJ, Schapiro SJ. Animal models for human behavior. In: Handbook of Laboratory Animal Science. 4. CRC Press, 633-647, 2021.
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2024. Baboon model of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment and accelerated aging. None. Job Talk. Bastrop, Texas, US.
- 2024. Faculty Seminar: My Education and Research Background. Invited. Faculty Seminar Series. Bastrop, Texas, US.
- 2024. Brain Imaging on Campus. Invited. Keeling Center Update. Bastrop, Texas, US.
- 2024. Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN): Why and how to use it. Invited. Faculty Seminar. Bastrop, Texas, US.
- 2024. Neuroscience and Cognition. Invited. Primate Behavioral Management Conference. Bastrop, Texas, US.
- 2024. A Rhesus Macaque Model of Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Impairments and Neurodegeneration. Invited. Research Town Hall. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2023. Journal Club: "Infant Isoflurane exposure affects social behaviours, but does not impair specific cognitive domains in juvenile non-human primates". Invited. Faculty Journal Club. Bastrop, Texas, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2024. Age-associated biomarker profiles in a non-human primate model of sporadic CAA. Poster. Neurology Research Symposium. New York, NY, US.
- 2024. Utilizing the Biomedical Imaging Center to Study a Nonhuman Primate Model of Chemotherapy-Related Cognitive Impairment. Invited. Center for Biomedical Research Support Showcase. Austin, TX, US.
- 2022. The effects of early rearing experiences on mutual eye gaze among olive baboons (Papio anubis). Conference. Texas Association of Biological Anthropology. Austin, TX, US.
- 2022. Rhesus macaque model of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairments and neurodegeneration. Invited. UT-MDACC Collaborative Summit. Austin, TX, US.
National Presentations
- 2024. Relationships between immunosenescence, brain aging biomarkers, and cognition across nonhuman primate species of differing lifespans. Invited. NIH Aging Research Consortium. Virtual, US.
- 2024. Clinical and welfare applications of automated cognitive testing systems. Invited. 52nd Annual APV Workshop. Nashville, TN, US.
- 2024. Highlighting Biomedical Research Utilizing the Squirrel Monkey Resource. Poster. 14th Comparative Medicine Resource Directors Meeting: Advancing Biomedical Research: Integrative Approaches and Innovations. Bethesda, MD, US.
- 2024. Automated Cognitive Testing with Nonhuman Primate Models: Disease and Treatment Effects. Invited. Department of Infectious Diseases Seminar. Athens, GA, US.
- 2022. Neural correlates of delay of gratification in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Conference. 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Denver, CO, US.
- 2022. Good snakes are hard to find: Variability in primates' reactions to snake models. Conference. 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Denver, CO, US.
- 2022. Automated cognitive testing systems (ACTS) for socially housed nonhuman primates. Conference. 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Denver, CO, US.
- 2019. Non-invasive techniques for assessing and modifying nonhuman primate welfare. Conference. 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Madison, WI, US.
- 2019. Are social stimuli rewarding to chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)? A study on the intrinsic motivation to view videos of social and non-social stimuli. Conference. 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Madison, WI, US.
- 2019. Captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) show strong reactions to snake, but not lizard, models. Conference. 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Madison, WI, US.
- 2018. Heads you lose: The importance of various snake features in avoidance reactions by rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta). Conference. Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. San Antonio, TX, US.
- 2017. Individuality and stability of common marmoset mobbing calls. Conference. 40th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Washington, DC, US.
- 2016. Reactions to snake-associated odors by domestic dogs (Canis familiaris). Conference. Summer Research Program. San Marcos, CA, US.
- 2015. Is urgency encoded in the tsik calls of common marmosets?. Conference. 38th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Bend, OR, US.
- 2014. Group differences in common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) alarm call signatures. Conference. 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Decatur, GA, US.
- 2013. Phencyclidine and nicotine's effects on ultrasonic vocalizations induced by a visual stimulus. Conference. Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Honolulu, HI, US.
- 2013. Exploring individual differences in alarm calls and body size of captive Geoffroy's marmosets (Callithrix geoffroyi). Conference. 36th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. San Juan, PR, US.
- 2012. Species-specific alarm calls in Callithrix geoffroyi and C. penicillata. Conference. 35th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Sacramento, CA, US.
- 2011. Individually distinct alarm calls in captive Geoffroy's marmosets. Conference. 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Austin, TX, US.
- 2010. Evidence of referential communication in Geoffroy's marmosets. Conference. 33rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Louisville, KY, US.
- 2009. Are Geoffroy's marmosets' (Callithrix geoffroyi) alarm calls referential? A research proposal. Conference. 15th Annual Psychology Research Fair. San Marcos, CA, US.
International Presentations
- 2024. Using Social Network Analysis to Model the Effects of Early Life Rearing Experiences on Social Connectedness Among Female Olive Baboons (Papio anubis). Poster. 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists. Riviera Maya, MX.
- 2024. Assessment of fluid biomarker profiles across disease continuum in a non-human primate model of sporadic CAA. Poster. Alzheimer's Association International Conference. Philadelphia, US.
- 2024. Conceptual set-shifting in the squirrel monkey (Saimiri spp.). Poster. 31st International Conference on Comparative Cognition (CO3). Albuquerque, US.
- 2023. Neuroscience and Cognition. Invited. Abbreviated Primate Behavioral Management Conference. Bogor, ID.
- 2023. Age-associated biomarker profiles in a non-human primate model of sporadic CAA. Poster. Alzheimer's Association International Conference. Amsterdam, NL.
- 2022. The aging nonhuman primate brain: Relationship between age and gray matter covariation in captive Papio anubis and Pan troglodytes. Conference. International Primatological Society. Quito, EC.
- 2019. Rearing specific pathogen free baboons. Invited. Relevance of Non-human Primate Models in Biomedical Research Symposium. Copenhagen, DK.
- 2018. Snake detection and fake detection: Visual cues and perceptual accuracy for serpentine shape. Conference. Meeting of the International Primatological Society. Nairobi, KE.
- 2016. Contrasting functions of tsik and egg calls in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). Conference. Joint Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists and International Primatological Society. Chicago, US.
- 2014. Individual signatures in calls given by common marmosets to a snake model. Conference. 25th Congress of the International Primatological Society. Hanoi, VN.
- 2012. Alarm calls of marmosets to snakes and perched raptors. Conference. 24th Congress of the International Primatological Society. Cancun, MX.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Relationships between immunosenescence, brain aging biomarkers, and cognition across nonhuman primate species of differing lifespans |
| Funding Source: | NIH |
| Role: | PI |
| Title: | Nonhuman primate cancer drivers and pharmacogenetics |
| Funding Source: | Cattlemen for Cancer Research |
| Role: | PI |
| Title: | Baboon model of chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment and accelerated aging |
| Funding Source: | NIH |
| Role: | PI |
| Title: | Innate immunity stimulation effects on biomarkers, cognition, and the vascular amyloid proteome in a squirrel monkey model of sporadic CAA |
| Funding Source: | NIH |
| Role: | Co-PI |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified January 22, 2025