Ph.D., Brown University, Providence, R.I. 1985
B.S., Lehranstalt for Pharmacy, Cologne, 1973

Research Interests:

My Developmental Neuroscience laboratory has focused on the ontogeny of cerebral cortex, within the context of mental health disorders. We have conducted fundamental biomedical and bioenvironmental research, employing mouse models to study brain-behavior relationships, to investigate how developmental disruptions contribute to brain pathologies. Research foci have included 1) the effects of early life stress within the context of inflammatory brain responses, Depression and related mood disorders, 2) the role of serotonin in cerebral cortical development and function in relationship to Autism Spectrum Disorder. Earlier work has been instrumental in establishing the critical role of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in cortical development.

Recent work has shifted towards Educational Research. As longstanding P.I. and director of the MBRS RISE Program at MSU and BUILD/ASCEND P.I. and Director of the Research Enrichment Core, I have become involved in collaborative, interdisciplinary projects concerning the effects of the instructional environment on learner success and the impact of training interventions in helping students develop science identity and persistence towards science career goals. In my capacity as Director of the RCMI Faculty development Core, I am currently involved in training faculty in the development of NIH research proposals and I am overseeing several career development initiatives such as pilot grant funding and summer research support for collaborative off-campus projects.

Selected, Representative Publications (out of 65 total):

• Richard Yanagihara, Marla J. Berry, Monica J. Carson, Sandra P. Chang, Heather Corliss, Marc B. Cox, Georges Haddad, Christine Hohmann, Scott T. Kelley, Eun Sook Yu Lee, Bruce G. Link, Richard J. Noel, Jr., Julie Pickrel , James T. Porter , Gregory J. Quirk , Temesgen Samuel, Jonathan K. Stiles, Angela U. Sy, Deborah A. Taira, Mary Jo Trepka, Fernando Villalta and Thomas E. Wiese. "Building a Diverse Workforce and Thinkforce to Reduce Health Disparities." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 18, 1569, 2021.
• Hohmann, C.F. and Rodriguez Elisabeth. "Stress, the gut microbiome and Vulnerability for Mental Health Disorders: What can Animal Models Tell us?" In: Advances in Medicine and Biology, Vol. 173, Chapter 3: 81 – 116.Editor: Leon V. Berhardt © 2020 Nova Science Publishers, Inc ISBN:978-1-53618-5 (ebook), ISSN 2157-5398.
• Christine F Hohmann, Mary E. Blue. And Mary Lang. "The Role of Serotonin in Cortical Development: Implications for Autism Spectrum Disorder," in: The Behavioral Neurobiology of Serotonin. Ed. Christian Mueller and Catherine A. Cunningham, Elsevier, Invited Chapter, 2019.
• Farin Kamangar, Gillian Silver G, Christine Hohmann, Shiva Mehraveran and Payam Sheikhattari. "Empowering Undergraduate Students to Lead Research: The ASCEND Program at Morgan State University," in: Broadening Participation in STEM: Curricula and Co-Curricula Strategies and Programs that Work. Zakiya S. Wilson-Kennedy, Goldie S. Byrd, Eugene Kennedy and Henry Frierson. 2019. Emerald Publishing.
• Hohmann, C.F., Odebode, G, Naidu, L and Koban, M. "Early Life Stress Alters Adult Inflammatory Responses in a Mouse Model for Depression," Annals of Psychiatry and Mental Health, 2017, 5(2): 1095. 
• Hohmann, C.F., "Cholinergic regulation of cortical development," in: Handbook on Brain and Behavior in Human Development, Ed. Gramsbergen, A. and Kalverboer, A.F., Springer Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 2001.

Dr. Hohmann is a 2021 Fellow of the American Academy of Science.