Cyrilla Wideman
Professor
Background
Dr. Wideman earned her M.S. degree from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana and was awarded a National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship to pursue a Ph.D. at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. The Ph.D. degree was completed in the area of Biology.
Areas of Expertise
Co-founder and Associate Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Concentration involving Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology majors at John Carroll University.
Research Interests
My major area of investigation centers on animal models of circadian rhythms such as shift work which is produced by an alteration of various factors affecting the normal circadian cycle in humans. Although it has been shown that light is the major factor regulating the cycle, other external cues such as time of feeding and physical activity can also affect the functioning of the clock. Light and nonphotic variables can be synchronized resulting in homeostasis and balance within the organism or desynchronized which may be associated with many pathological conditions. Also studied are the effects of various drugs and supplements on circadian rhythms and the most effective time of administering these compounds during the cycle.
Education
Dr. Wideman received her Ph.D. in Biology with specializations in Physiology and Biochemistry from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Following graduation, post-doctoral research was conducted in the cardiovascular department of the Cleveland Clinic. Her M.S. degree in Biology was earned from the University of Notre Dame.
Courses Taught
Advanced Research Topics in Neuroscience
Endocrinology
Medical Physiology
Principles of Biology I
Principles of Biology II
Publications
Drs. Wideman and Murphy have over 200 published abstracts of presentations at regional, national and international conferences and have co-authored over 40 full-length peer-reviewed publications.
Recent publications:
Wideman, C. H., Iemma, A., Janolo, O., Kalinina, A. and Murphy, H. M. Effect of Creatine
Monohydrate on Spatial Working Memory, Body Weight, and Food Intake in Male and Female
Rats. Nutrients, 2025, 17, 2218. doi: 10.3390/nu17132218.
Murphy, H. M., Kalinina, A. I. and Wideman, C. H. Effects of Chronic Oral Administration of
Midazolam on Memory and Circadian Rhythms in Rats. Drug Research, 2023, 73: 40-45.
doi:10.1055/a-1937-9064. Epub 2022.
Ekstrand, E., Murphy, H. M. and Wideman, C. H. The Effects of the Prodrug Vyvanse on Spatial
Working Memory and Adiposity in Rats. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, 186, 2019.
doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2019.172765.
