Margaret Gill

Maggie Gill received her PhD in behavioral neuroscience from Kansas State University in 2010, and then went on to conduct a postdoctoral fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina.  Dr. Gill joined the North Central College faculty in 2013 and teaches classes in Neuroscience and Psychology.  Her research primarily focuses on rearing-induced neurobiological that impact drug taking behavior, utilizing a self-administration model.

Outside of the classroom Dr. Gill serves as the faculty advisor to the Neuroscience Club, Nu Rho Psi, and co-advisor to the Women Aspiring, Venturing, and Evolving Sciences (WAVES).

Student Involvement

Dr. Gill is always looking for students interested in becoming part of her research team.  Depending on student’s interests and ongoing projects in the lab, students can learn skills such as stereotaxic surgery, intra-jugular catheter surgery, injections, micro-infusions, histology, behavioral analysis, Pavlovian and operant conditioning, self-administration, immunohistochemistry or immunoblotting.  Students will learn how to interpret primary literature, design research projects, analyze data, and contribute to peer-reviewed publications.  Dr. Gill also encourages students to attend scientific meetings such as Society for Neuroscience, National Conference on Undergraduate Research, or Midwest Psychological Association to present their findings.  If you are interested in conducting research with Dr. Gill, contact her at mjgill@noctrl.edu.

Selected Scholarship

Publications

(* indicates an undergraduate Dr. Gill mentored)

*Orban, Z. and Gill, M.J. (2024) Differential rearing alters Fos in the accumbens core and ventral pallidum following reinstatement of cocaine seeking in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, & Behavior, 24, 1-8. 10.1016/j.pbb.2024.173837

Gill, M.J. (2024) Increasing accessibility through popular press books into neuroscience coursework. JUNE 22(2), A126-A130. https://doi.org/10.59390/SWZD5930

Gill, M.J. (2023) PopScience: Teaching students to communicate scientific findings to the general public. JUNE 22(1), A14-A21. https://doi.org/10.59390/KYOE5906

Gill, M.J., Weiss, M.L., and Cain, M.E. (2014) Effects of differential rearing on amphetamine-induced c-fos expression in rats.  Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 145, 231-234.

Gill, M.J., Ghee, S.M., *Harper, S.M., See, R.E. (2013) Inactivation of the lateral habenula reduces anxiogenic behavior and cocaine seeking under conditions of heightened stress. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, in press.

Gill, M.J., *Arnold, J., & Cain, M.E. (2012) The role of mGluR5 during conditioned hyperactivity and sensitization in differentially reared rats.  Psychopharmacology, 221(2), 227-237.

Cain, M.E., Mersmann, M.G., Gill, M.J., & *Pittenger, S.T. (2012) Dose dependent effects of differential rearing on amphetamine-induced hyperactivity. Behavioural Pharmacology, 8, 744-753.

Gill, M.J. and Cain, M.E. (2011) Effects of satiety on sucrose-reinforced responding in rats raised in enrichment.  Behavioural Pharmacology, 22(1), 40-48.

Cain, M.E., Coolon, R.A., & Gill, M.J. (2009) The contribution of the central nucleus of the amygdala to individual differences in amphetamine-induced hyperactivity. Behavioural Brain Research, 202(1), 11-8.

Mersmann, M.G., Gregg, P., Gill, M.J., Haddon, T.N., & Cain, M.E. (submitted, 2014) Individual differences in response to novelty are associated with altered c-fos expression in the mesocorticolimbic pathway.

Presentations with NCC Students

(* indicates an undergraduate Dr. Gill mentored)

*Murray, T., Gill, M.J. Dose-dependent attenuation of oxytocin on the cocaine-seeking and cocaine-induced Fos expression of differentially reared rats. Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting, November 2025, San Diego, CA.

Gill, M.J., *Sherrod, S., *Murray, T., & *Norman, E. Oxytocin mediates drug vulnerability in differentially reared rats. International Behavioral Neuroscience Society, Annual Meeting June 2025, Tromso, Norway.

*Murray, T., *Sherrod, S., *Norman, L., *Helmers, H., *Baker, M.L., *Medina, T., & Gill, M.J. Observing oxytocin attenuation against cocaine-seeking in differentially reared rats. Midwest Psychological Association, Annual Meeting April 2025, Chicago, IL.

*Murray, T., *Whitcomb, E., *Perez, H., Mills, R., Starr, M., & Gill, M.J. MedPC and ANY-maze Software Comparison During Cocaine-seeking and​ Cue-induced Reinstatement in Differentially Reared Rats. Chicago Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting March 2024, Chicago IL.    

*Zimbelman, A., Siemsen, B.M., Scofield, M.D., & Gill, M.J. Alterations in dendritic spines of differentially reared rats following cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking. Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting November 2022, San Diego, CA.

*Brown, A., *Froidcoeur, K., *Linden, M., & Gill, M.J. (2022) Role of basolateral amygdala on cocaine addiction in differentially reared rats. Chicago Chapter Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting March 2022, Chicago, IL.

**Brown, A., *Froidcoeur, K., *Santamaria, C., *Whorley, M., *Greenberg, J., *Vogel, M., *Linden, M., *Hebron, R., & Gill, M.J. (2021) Activation of the basolateral amygdala alters rearing-induced changes in cocaine-seeking. Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting November 2021, online.

Gill, M.J., *Lundquist, A., *Pignone, F., *Laux, D., *Zimbelman, A., and Stefanik, M.T. (2020) GluA1 expression in cortical-accumbal circuitry of differentially reared rats. Winter Conference on Brain Research, Annual Meeting January 2020, Big Sky, MT.

*Laux, D., *Burton, A., *DiClimenti, A., *Pignone, F., *Schwarz, A., *Zimbelman, A., *Wittenkeller, L., Stefanik, M.T., and Gill, M.J. (2019) GluA1 expression in differentially reared rats following cocaine self-administration. Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting 2019, Chicago, IL.

*Kuipers, D., *Burton, A., *DiClementi, A., *Pignone, F., *Schwarz, A., *Cromwell, M.C., *Zimbelman, A., *Wittenkeller, L., *Bailey, M., *Orban, Z.S., and Gill, M.J. (2018) Cocaine self-administration in differentially reared female rats. Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Poster Session, Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting November 2018, San Diego, CA.

*Orban, Z.S., *John, C.A., *Evenson, K.M., *Lopez, O.R., *Jantz, D.A., *Olesen, K.R., and Gill, M.J. C-fos expression in addiction circuitry of differentially reared rats following reinststatement of cocaine-seeking. Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting November 2017, Washington D.C.

*Bailey, M., *Kuipers, D., *Cromwell, M.C., *Orban, Z.S., *Roybal, K., *Simgla, E., *Burchett, J., and Gill, M.J. Effects of differential rearing on cocaine self-administration in female rats. Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting November 2017, Washington D.C.

*Lundquist, A., *Falzarano, H., *Smigla, E., *Bartoli, E., *Kendall, E., *Wrobleski, R., Milovanovic, M., Stefanik, M.T., Wolf, M.E., and Gill M.J. PEPA and glutamate: the role of infralimbic AMPA receptors in diminishing reinstatement of cocaine seeking behavior of differentially reared rats. Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting November 2016, San Diego, CA.

*Cromwell, M.C., *John, C.A., *Bartoli, E., *Kendall, E., *Wrobleski, R., *Lundquist, A., Milovanovic, M., Stefanik, M.T., Wolf, M.E., and Gill M.J. Role of nucleus accumbens shell AMPA receptors in cocaine-seeking behavior of differentially reared rats. Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting November 2016, San Diego, CA.

*Orban, Z.S., *John, C.A., *Evenson, K.M., *Lopez, O.R., *Jantz, D.A., *Olesen, K.R., and Gill, M.J. Corticostriatal c-fos Expression in Differentially Reared Rats Following Reinstatement of Cocaine-Seeking Behaviors. Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting November 2016, San Diego, CA.

*Falzarano, H., *Lundquist, A., *Smigla, E., *Bartoli, E., *Kendall, E., *Wrobleski, R. & Gill, M.J. PEPA and glutamate: the role of infralimbic AMPA receptors in diminishing cue-induced drug seeking behavior. National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Annual Meeting April 2016, Asheville, NC.

*Cromwell, M. C., *John, C. A., *Orban, Z. S., *Bartoli, E., *Kendall, E., *Wrobleski, R. & Gill, M.J. Role of accumbal AMPA on cocaine self-administration in differentially reared rats.  National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Annual Meeting April 2016, Asheville, NC.

Gill, M.J., *Orban, Z.S., *John, C.A., *Evenson, K.M., *Lopez, O.R., *Jantz, D.A., & *Olesen, K.R. C-fos expression in the striatal circuitry following reinstatement in differentially reared rats. Winter Conference on Brain Research, Annual Meeting January 2016, Breckenridge, CO.

*John, C.A., *Orban, Z., *Evenson, K., *Lopez, O., *Jantz, D., *Olesen, K., & Gill, M.J. Dorsolateral striatum c-fos expression following reinstatement of cocaine seeking in differentially reared rats.  Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Poster Session, Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting October 2015, Chicago, IL.

*John, C.A., *Cromwell, M.R., & Gill, M.J. Impact of differential rearing on set-shifting ability.  Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Poster Session, Society for Neuroscience, Annual Meeting November 2014, Washington D.C.

*Eby, S., Gill, M.J. Exploratory study of trauma-induced anxiety using quantitative electroencephalography. Midwestern Psychological Association, Annual Meeting May 2014, Chicago, IL.

Courses Taught

NEUR 100: Introduction to Neuroscience

NEUR 200: Behavioral Neuroscience

NEUR 300: Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience

NEUR 280: Drugs and Behavior

PSYC 100: Psychology: Science of Behavior

PSYC 340: Learning

GSST 350: Global Perspectives of Women in Science