The Muglia laboratory has pioneered the in vivo analysis of regulation of the endocrine stress response, that is, activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and characterization of glucocorticoid action, using novel genetically altered mutant mice. These studies have elucidated the importance of corticotropin-releasing hormone and glucocorticoids in neuroendocrine modulation, behavior and perinatal development. Of particular interest is how dysregulation of glucorticoid and neuropeptide action in the central nervous system can contribute to the genesis or exacerbation of psychiatric disorders.

The second major area of investigation in the Muglia laboratory seeks to determine the mechanism by which the timing for birth is determined. For mammalian development, a normal program of sequential, intrinsic maturational steps in the developing embryo and fetus is necessary but not sufficient to ensure viability. The timing for birth must be precisely coordinated with the rate of fetal development to ensure species propagation. The ramifications of malfunctions in this clock for timing gestation of human neonates are enormous. Preterm labor and delivery complicate approximately 12% of human pregnancies and are the single most common source of perinatal morbidity and mortality, including central nervous system injury. Using genetically altered rodent models, past and ongoing efforts dissect the roles of prostaglandin synthesis and degradation, and circadian clock genes, in determining the timing for birth. More recent studies have utilized genetic epidemiological methods to uncover specific genes increasing the risk for preterm birth in humans and impact on the racial disparity in risk for preterm birth. These efforts have evolved to global visibility through participant recruitment and analysis, nationally through the Family and Environment in the Timing of Abnormal Labor (FETAL) Study Website, and internationally through a multicenter effort in Finland.

Muglia’s research in these areas is supported the National Institutes of Health, the March of Dimes, and Pfizer, Inc. His achievements include over 130 publications and have been recognized by awards, including a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Development Award in the Biomedical Sciences, the Society of Pediatric Research Young Investigator Award, and election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He is an active member of the Society for Pediatric Research, Society for Neuroscience, and the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Endocrine Society, and serves on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Prior to joining Vanderbilt in 2009, Muglia was Alumni Endowed Professor of Pediatrics, and Professor of Developmental Biology, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Washington University School of Medicine, Director of the Division of Endocrinology & Diabetes in the Department of Pediatrics, and Director for the Center for Preterm Birth Research at Washington University. He also served as the Program Director for the NICHD-supported Child Health Research Center of Excellence at Washington University.