Cecilia Flores, McGill University

Research

Gene Editing Resilience Rodent Brain Development Adolescence Executive Function Tests Guidance Cues Impulse Control Sex Differences

Latest papers

Stress-Induced Dysregulation of the Guidance Cue Receptor DCC Alters Corticolimbic Circuit Architecture.
Biological psychiatry global open science · 2026 · senior author
Divergent outcomes of delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in adolescence on mesocortical dopamine and cognitive development in male and female mice.
Psychopharmacology · 2025 · senior author
Peripheral MicroRNA Signatures in Adolescent Depression.
Biological psychiatry global open science · 2025 · senior author

All 64 publications

Latest funding

Connectivity mapping electrophysiology system for studying neuronal microcircuits
NSERC · 2025 · Co-investigator
$149,998
Decoding the impact of social stress during adolescence on the maturing prefrontal cortex
CIHR · 2023 · Nominated PI
$1,143,676
Netrin-1 mediates stress-induced plasticity of adult pyramidal neurons
NSERC · 2020 · Principal investigator
$390,000

All 13 grants and awards

64 publications.

01

Stress-Induced Dysregulation of the Guidance Cue Receptor DCC Alters Corticolimbic Circuit Architecture.

Mahmud A, Hernandez G, Abboud F, Flores C

Biological psychiatry global open science2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100629 PMID: 41362369

02

Divergent outcomes of delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in adolescence on mesocortical dopamine and cognitive development in male and female mice.

Capolicchio T, Hernandez G, Shi SSW, Dube E, Estrada K, Giroux M, Nieman BJ, Pausova Z, Flores C

Psychopharmacology2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1007/s00213-025-06791-1 PMID: 40658196

03

Peripheral MicroRNA Signatures in Adolescent Depression.

Morgunova A, O'Toole N, Abboud F, Coury S, Chen GG, Teixeira M, Fitzgerald E, Turecki G, Gifuni AJ, Gotlib IH, Nagy C, Meaney MJ, Ho TC, Flores C

Biological psychiatry global open science2025Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100505 PMID: 40519638

04

BDNF-dependent nano-organization of Neogenin and the WAVE regulatory complex promotes actin remodeling in dendritic spines.

Shohayeb B, Sempert K, Wallis TP, Meunier FA, Durisic N, O'Brien EA, Flores C, Cooper HM

iScience2024

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110621 PMID: 39228790

05

The scheduling of adolescence with Netrin-1 and UNC5C.

Hoops D, Kyne R, Salameh S, MacGowan D, Avramescu RG, Ewing E, He AT, Orsini T, Durand A, Popescu C, Zhao JM, Shatz K, Li L, Carroll Q, Liu G, Paul MJ, Flores C

eLife2024Senior author

DOI: 10.7554/elife.88261 PMID: 39056276

06

Rewiring the future: drugs abused in adolescence may predispose to mental illness in adult life by altering dopamine axon growth.

Avramescu RG, Hernandez G, Flores C

Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02722-6 PMID: 38036858

07

Gains and Losses: Resilience to Social Defeat Stress in Adolescent Female Mice.

Pantoja-Urbán AH, Richer S, Mittermaier A, Giroux M, Nouel D, Hernandez G, Flores C

Biological psychiatry2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.06.014 PMID: 37355003

08

Axo-glial interactions between midbrain dopamine neurons and oligodendrocyte lineage cells in the anterior corpus callosum.

Caldwell M, Ayo-Jibunoh V, Mendoza JC, Brimblecombe KR, Reynolds LM, Zhu Jiang XY, Alarcon C, Fiore E, N Tomaio J, Phillips GR, Mingote S, Flores C, Casaccia P, Liu J, Cragg SJ, McCloskey DP, Yetnikoff L

Brain structure & function2023

DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02695-y PMID: 37668732

09

RGMa and Neogenin control dendritic spine morphogenesis via WAVE Regulatory Complex-mediated actin remodeling.

Sempert K, Shohayeb B, Lanoue V, O'Brien EA, Flores C, Cooper HM

Frontiers in molecular neuroscience2023

DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2023.1253801 PMID: 37928069

10

Preparation and processing of dried blood spots for microRNA sequencing.

Morgunova A, Ibrahim P, Chen GG, Coury SM, Turecki G, Meaney MJ, Gifuni A, Gotlib IH, Nagy C, Ho TC, Flores C

Biology methods & protocols2023Senior author

DOI: 10.1093/biomethods/bpad020 PMID: 37901452

Connectivity mapping electrophysiology system for studying neuronal microcircuits

Co-investigatorNSERC2025Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Wong, Tak Pan

Keywords: development; metabolism; neurodegeneration; neuron-glia crosstalk; optogenetic; sex differences; single cell transcriptome; stress; synaptic plasticity; synaptic repair

$149,998

Decoding the impact of social stress during adolescence on the maturing prefrontal cortex

Nominated PICIHR2023Project Grant

Principal investigators: Flores, Cecilia

Keywords: Adolescence; Executive Function Tests; Gene Editing; Guidance Cues; Impulse Control; Resilience; Rodent Brain Development; Sex Differences; Social Defeat Stress; Social Interaction

$1,143,676

Netrin-1 mediates stress-induced plasticity of adult pyramidal neurons

Principal investigatorNSERC2020Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Flores, Cecilia

$390,000

Mechanisms driving prefrontal cortex development in adolescence

Nominated PICIHR2017Project Grant

Principal investigators: Flores, Cecilia

Keywords: Axon Guidance Mechanisms; Behavioral Neuroscience; Chronic Social Defeat Stress In Mice; Cognitive Processing In Rodents; Dopamine Systems; Gene Editing; Neuroanatomy In Rodents; Resilience; Rodent Brain Development; Viral Mediated Gene Transfer In Vivo

$1,132,200

Gene expression analysis of complex neurobiological processes: A PCR facility to study large sample sets and very small samples

Co-investigatorNSERC2016Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Cermakian, Nicolas

$140,500

Guidance molecules interact to orchestrate dopamine plasticity in adulthood

Principal investigatorNSERC2015Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Flores, Cecilia

$200,000

An integrated detection platform for the study of neuroimmune interactions, neuroendocrine pathways and neurodevelopment

Co-investigatorNSERC2013Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Cermakian, Nicolas

$67,437

Mapping Neural Function in Individuals with DCC Haplotype

Co-investigatorCIHR2011Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Leyton, Marco

Keywords: Axon Guidance Molecules; Brain Development; Dopamine; Genetic Imaging; Neuroanatomy; Neuroimaging; Neuropsychiatric Disorders

$590,325

Role of netrin-1 in the organization and function of dopamine circuitry

Nominated PICIHR2011Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Flores, Cecilia

Keywords: Axon Guidance; Neural Development; Neural Plasticity; Neuroanatomy; Prefrontal Cortex; Schizophrenia

$631,474

A flow cytometry facility to study brain processes and neuro-immune interactions

Co-investigatorNSERC2010Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Cermakian, Nicolas

$142,007

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Psychiatry
Neurology and Neurosurgery
Psychiatrie et addictologie
Biochemistry
Otolaryngology
Medicine
Pediatrics
Other

1 shared papers, latest 2016

Jamie Near

Psychiatry

1 shared papers, latest 2017

Kai-Florian Storch

Psychiatry

1 shared papers, latest 2017

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2023

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Gene Editing Dear Professor Flores, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Stress-Induced Dysregulation of the Guidance Cue Receptor DCC Alters Corticolimbic Circuit Architecture." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "Decoding the impact of social stress during adolescence on the maturing prefrontal cortex" (2023), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]