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About

Sandra Mollenauer is a behavioral neuroscientist whose research has focused on the neurobiological underpinnings of fear, emotional behavior, and defensive responses in rodent models. Working primarily during the late 1970s and early 1980s, she made significant contributions to understanding how brain structures and pharmacological agents modulate anxiety and threat-related behaviors in rats. Her most impactful work examined the consequences of olfactory bulbectomy on emotional behavior, garnering 25 citations and establishing an important animal model for studying affect and fear circuitry. Mollenauer also systematically investigated how cholinergic agents — including physostigmine and scopolamine — influence fear and defense responses, shedding light on the role of the cholinergic system in anxiety-related processes. A notable thread running through her career was her rigorous exploration of amphetamine's effects on defensive flight and avoidance behavior, examining both acute and chronic administration to distinguish stimulant effects on defensive versus general motor behavior. Taken together, her body of work provided foundational insights into the pharmacology of fear and emotional responding, contributing to the broader scientific understanding of how neurochemical systems shape behavioral responses to threat — knowledge that remains relevant to anxiety disorder research today.