Dr. J. Timothy Cannon

I am the director of the Neuroscience Program and a professor in the Psychology Department at The University of Scranton.  I received my B.S. from The University of Scranton in 1971 and my Ph.D. in experimental psychology, specializing in physiological, from the University of Maine in 1977. I did post-doctoral work at UCLA in the fields of pain inhibition and opioids. I teach Behavioral Neuroscience, Psychopharmacology, Conditioning and Learning, Evolutionary Psychology, and Research Methods in the Behavioral Science Lab.  I am an active member of the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN).  I served as the organization's treasurer (that was a serious mistake on their part) and have been named a FUN Fellow (No joke!).

My research interest now focus on spacial memory, anixiety, and environmental enrichment in mice.  I still have an interest in the neuroanatomical and neurochemical bases of endogenous pain-inhibitory mechanisms and addictive phenomena.  I’ve also been examining finger ratios (index to ring) and their relationship to adult personality and perceptual differences.  Finger ratios are related to prenatal exposure to androgens, which can affect the developing brain.  My students and I have collaborated in producing a web-based Sheep Brain Dissection Guide that is widely used at the college level. 

I organize the Annual Psychology Conference (22 years), Kids Judge! Neuroscience (6 years) and the NEPA Brain Bee (8 years).  I also collaborate in running our monthly brown bag seminar What’s News in Science, Medicine, and Technology.  I am a co-moderator of the Scranton Neuroscience Society and am the faculty moderator of our Nu Rho Psi chapter, the Alpha Chapter in the State of Pennsylvania.  In 1995, I was named the Pennsylvania CASE Professor of the Year. 

Four of the five Scranton graduates  who have won prestegious NSF Predoctoral Resarch Fellowships worked in my lab. With only one exception over the past 20+ years,  students working with me have made presentations at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.  

Representative research/presentations (Scranton students in bold):

Cannon, J.T., Lewis, J.W., Weinburg, V.E., & Liebeskind, J.C. (1983). Evidence for the independence of brain stem mechanisms mediating analgesia induced by morphine and two forms of stress. Brain Research, 269, 231-236.

Terman, G.W., Shavit, Y., Lewis, J.W., Cannon, J.T., & Liebeskind, J.C. (1984). Intrinsic mechanisms of pain inhibition and their activation by stress. Science, 226, 1270-1277.

Levine, R., Morgan, M.M., Cannon, J.T., and Liebeskind, J.C. (1991). Stimulation of the periaqueductal gray matter of the rat produces a preferential ipsilateral antinociception. Brain Research, 567: 140-144.

Baldwin, A.E., and Cannon, J.T. (1996). Sensitization of the tail-flick reflex following exposure to either a single prolonged test trial or behavioral testing under the analgesic influence of morphine. Pain, 67:163-172,.

Pohlig, R.T. & Cannon, J. Examination of the Relationship Between 2D:4D Finger Length Ratio and Ball-Toss Accuracy. Soc. For Neuroscience Abst. (2004).

Schneider, L.M., Shirer, S.M., & Cannon, J.T. Two Tests of Thermal Nociception and Morphine Sensitivity in Helix Aspersa.  Soc. For Neuroscience Abst. (2004).

Yoder K.M. & Cannon J.T. 2D:4D finger ration and adult behavioral measures related to autism.  Soc. for Neuroscience Abst.  (2005)

Orr P.T., Tropiano H, & Cannon J.T..Mental rotation and perspective taking: Sex differences and relationships with 2D-4D ratio. Soc. for Neuroscienc Abst. (2006).

Brightbill A.M., Karpiak C, & Cannon J.T. Does environmental enrichment affect occurence of same-sex mounting behaviors in BALB/c mice? Soc. for Neuroscienc Abst. (2006). 

Patel N., Orr P.T., Krupka A.J., & Cannon J.T. Effect of environmental enrichment in standard cages on Barnes Maze performance of BALB/c mice. Soc. for Neuroscienc Abst. (2006).

Irace C.R., Cannon J.T., Karpiak C.P., Baril G.L., & Melone A.N.  Environmental Attitudes: Relationships with Right Wing Authoritarianism, Social Dominance Orientation, Political Affiliation, and Moral Reasoning. Eastern Psychological Association Abst. (2007).

Irace C.R., Orr P.T., Cannon JT, Piatek E, & Guenther R. Measures of Spatial Ability:  Intercorrelations, Gender Differences, and Relationships weth 2D:4D Finger ratio, Soc. for Neuroscience. Abst. (2007)

Garcia, M.J., Swetter, B.J., Karpiak, C.P., & Cannon, J.T.  Differences in physical signs of aggression in BALB/c mice as a function of home cage enrichment.  Soc. for Neuroscience Abst. (2007).

Swetter, B.J., Garcia, M.J., & Cannon, J.T.  Effect of environmental enrichment in standard cages on open field and elevated plus maze behavior in BALB/c mice. Soc. for Neuroscience Abst. (2007).

Imperio, C., Swetter, B., Karpiak, C., & Cannon, J.T.  Effects of environmental enrichment in standard cages on elevated plus maze and open field behaviors in BALB/c mice.  Abst. of the Eastern Psych. Assoc. (2008).

Piatek, E., Guenther, R., Irace, C., & Cannon, J.T.  An analysis of gender differences in performance on Piaget’s water-level task and a failure to find relationships with 2D:4D finger ratio.  Abst. of the Eastern Psych. Assoc. (2008).

Swetter, B., Musyt, J., Chin, L., Karpiak, C., & Cannon, J.T.  Environmental enrichment in standard cages increases social approach behavior in BALB/cJ mice.  Abst. of the Eastern Psych. Assoc. (2008).

Karpiak, C.P., Swetter, B., Imperio, C., Garcia, M., & Cannon J.T., Anxious behaviors in BALB/cJ mice:  Do different approaches to envirnonmental enrichment produce different effects?  Soc. for Neuroscienc Abst. (2008). 

Waldeck, R. & Cannon, J.T., Live interactive brain awareness collaborations with fifth graders using Internet 2.  Soc. for Neuroscienc Abst. (2008).

Swetter, B. & Cannon J.T., Synaptic World, an improved model of snaptic transmission  Soc. for Neuroscienc Abst. (2008). 

Guenther, E., Piatek, E., Burnham, B, & Cannon, J.T., Staying the course:  Connections between political attitudes, habitual responding, and 2D:4D finger ratio. Soc. for Neuroscienc Abst. (2008).