Lab researchers gave eight different presentations at the annual meeting of the National Neurotrauma Society, including a data blitz presentation by grad student Chris O'Hearn (pictured above), several posters, and a symposium talk by Dr. Vonder Haar.
The IRL received a 5-year, $1 million grant to investigate treatments for the chronic consequences of brain injury. The research will focus on the use of rehabilitative, pharmacological, and neuromodulatory approaches to improve function. See more here.
In an upcoming issue, the lab demonstrates that transcranial direct-current stimulation reduces impulsivity, even when administered in the chronic post-injury period. Read the full article here.
Three undergraduates will be joined the lab over the summer to gain research experience. Lauren Giesler (WVU, left) participated in the Eberly College-funded SURE program, while Brianna Forte (U Mass, Amherst, center) and Bryan Rodriguez (U Nebraska, Omaha, right) participated in the APA-funded SUPRE program.
The Injury and Recovery Lab is primarily interested in behavioral dysfunction and the development of therapeutics to treat chronic deficits. We are particularly interested in the role of the frontal cortex in mediating a number of complex cognitive behaviors, including impulsivity, attention, and decision-making. These processes are affected by a variety of neural insults including traumatic brain injury, stroke, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Animal models of these various insults and disease states can provide critical insight into the human conditions and provide the ability to test therapeutics geared towards alleviating persistent, debilitating symptoms. To this end, our lab studies behavioral and neural processes in rats and how they are affected by injury in order to better understand the injury and recovery process in humans.
The lab is located within WVU's Department of Psychology and is also affiliated with the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, in the Basic and Translational Stroke Research Core.