William Horton

William Horton is an Assistant Teaching Professor at the Biobehavioral Health Department within Penn State University's College of Health and Human Development. His research focuses on the intersection of circadian rhythms and substance abuse, particularly nicotine addiction, examining how molecular and genetic changes influence behavior and vice versa.

Education
• Ph.D. in Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience from University of Colorado - Boulder
• B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University

Research Interests encompass:

• Molecular mechanisms linking circadian rhythms and addiction
• Genetic influences on drug-seeking behavior
• Neuroimaging of substance exposure effects
• Environmental factors (light, sleep) in maternal and child health
• Stress interactions with opioid and nicotine addiction
• Translational preclinical models of addiction and aging

Selected Publications demonstrate expertise in neurogenetics, sleep disorders, and addiction science, with recent work on miRNA regulation in stress models (2024), opioid neuroimaging (2023), and cross-species transcriptomic studies (2019).