Ciaran Murphy-Royal, PhD
Principal Investigator · Associate Professor
Department of Neurosciences, Université de Montréal · CHUM Research Centre
I am a neuroscientist studying how astrocytes integrate physiological context—including stress hormones, metabolic state, and neural-circuit activity—to regulate brain states and behaviour.
Research background
B.Sc. in Human Physiology, Trinity College Dublin, 2010
Ph.D., Université de Bordeaux and INSERM Neurocentre Magendie, 2014
Postdoctoral research in Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, 2014–2020
Established the Murphy-Royal Lab at the CHUM Research Centre and Université de Montréal in 2020
Research focus
My laboratory investigates astrocytes as contextual regulators of neural circuits. We study how stress, experience, and metabolic state reconfigure astrocyte signalling and function, and how these adaptations influence threat processing, anxiety, memory, coping, and behavioural adaptation.
Current directions
Current work focuses on how astrocytes integrate stress hormones, neuromodulatory signals, neural activity, and metabolic state across stress-responsive circuits. We are particularly interested in the basolateral amygdala, glucocorticoid signalling, early-life stress, and hypothalamic control of whole-body metabolism.
Approach
To connect cellular mechanisms with behaviour, we combine electrophysiology, two-photon and in vivo imaging, behavioural assays, and molecular and genetic approaches. Our broader goal is to understand how non-neuronal cells help the brain interpret context and adapt to changing physiological and environmental demands.