Connection between plasticity-dependent mechanisms for stroke recovery and sleep-dependent plasticity
Stroke occurs due to a loss of blood flow to the brain, resulting in significant brain injury and disability. Currently, over 7 million people in the United States suffer from the long-term effects of stroke and is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Recovery from stroke requires plasticity to allow remapping, or “rewiring,” of disrupted neuronal circuits. Such mechanisms are influenced by sleep, which is an ideal target for therapeutic intervention due to its well-studied role in mediating plasticity.
Our lab studies the connection between plasticity-dependent mechanisms for stroke recovery and sleep-dependent plasticity. Our goal is to develop new, innovative sleep-focused treatments and interventions to improve outcomes in patients with neurological disease. Team members gain experience in multi-modality optical and electrophysiological imaging, neuromodulation, therapeutic interventions and computational analysis of data in pre-clinical models of stroke and sleep. Our core beliefs are scientific integrity, collaboration and respect of racial, sexual, gender, religious, political, and cultural beliefs.