Dr. J. Timothy Cannon

I proposed the creation of what now is the Neuroscience Program and served as its director for 25 years. I am 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 Sensation and Perception. 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 interests now focus on the relationships among adult human physical indicators of androgen exposure and body symmetry with: intelligence, spacial ability, political orientation, moral reasoning, empathy, autism, and schizophrenia. The body indicators are facial (primary) and hand (2nd and 4th fingers of right hand). I still have an interest in the neuroanatomical and neurochemical bases of endogenous pain-inhibitory mechanisms and addictive phenomena. My students and I have collaborated in producing a web-based Sheep Brain Dissection Guide that is widely used at the college level.

I proposed the creation of Scranton's Faculty Student Research Program (FSRP) and later the Student Faculty Teaching Mentorship Program (SFTMP). I organized the Annual Psychology Conference (26 years), Kids Judge! Neuroscience (10 years) and the NEPA Brain Bee (12 years). I also collaborate in running our monthly brown bag seminar What’s News in Science, Medicine, and Technology. I 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 three exceptions over the past almost 30 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,.

Stanik, C. & Cannon, J. T. An Examination of the Relationships Between 2D:4D Finger Ratio and: Standard as Well as Sexual Personality Characteristics, Dating Patterns, Guilt, and Shame in College Students. 15th Annual Meeting, The Human Behavior and Evolution Society (2003).

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, aM.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).

Licata, M.L, Gilpin, S., Johnson, K.A. Baakman, J.A., Cannon, J.T., & Burnham, B.R., 2d:4d finger and width:height face ratios: Relationships with political orientation, signal detection, and perseverative responding. Soc. for Neuroscienc Abst. (2009).

Cannon, J., Burnham, B.R., Pagnotti, M., & Stratthaus, A.R., Facial features associated with androgen exposure and symmetry correlate with SAT performance and political attitudes. Soc. For Neuroscience Abst. (2010)

Cannon, J., Demchak, C., Bresnahan, J, Scala, J. & Entler, B.V., Using Google applications to replace commercial courseware packages in neuroscience lecture and lab courses. Soc. for Neuroscience Abst. (2012).

Cannon, J., Albert, K.J., & Burnham, B.R., Facial features differentially correlate with SAT performance in males versus females. Soc. For Neuroscience Abst. (2012)

Entler, B.V., Cannon, J.T., Seid, M.A. Drug-Seeking Behavior in Ants: A New Model for Morphine-Induced Reward, Sensitization, Self-Administration and Addiction. Gordon Research Conference, Neuroethology: Behavior, Evolution & Neurobiology. Mount Snow Resort, West Dover, VT. 18-23 Aug. 2013

Entler, B.V., Cannon, J.T., Seid, M.A. Morphine addiction in ants: visualizing a neurochemical pathway of drug reward. Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology. University of Maryland, College Park, MD. 5-10 Aug. 2012