Mary Eileen Cain

Mary Cain is a Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at Kansas State University. Her research broadly focuses on how early-life environments shape neural plasticity and, in turn, influence responses to reinforcers in adulthood. With funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, her laboratory investigates whether alterations in glutamate homeostasis underlie differences in psychostimulant self-administration in rats reared in enriched versus isolated conditions. In addition, through COBRE support from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for the Cognitive and Neurobiological Approaches to Plasticity (CNAP) Center, her work examines how rearing environments affect primary hedonic responses to reinforcers via modifications in opioid and cannabinoid systems. Dr. Cain is a Fellow of Divisions 6 and 28 of the American Psychological Association, as well as the Midwestern Psychological Association. She is deeply committed to mentoring doctoral and undergraduate students and has received multiple awards recognizing excellence in undergraduate research mentoring and teaching.