My research is focused on understanding how cerebellar activity influences the prefrontal cortex. Cognitive functioning is an essential role of the prefrontal cortex, and accumulating evidence suggests that the cerebellum is also a player in this process. Both of these brain areas can be impaired by...

Research interests are directed toward the neural regulation of the circulation in pathologic states such as hypertension and heart failure. Specific studies examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms of mechanical activation of baroreceptor neurons and the role of mechanosensitive ion channels...

Research in the Abel lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms of memory storage and the molecular basis of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. We use mouse models to examine the role of molecular signaling pathways as well as transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of gene expression in...

My research focuses on how focal brain lesions lead to behavioral changes in stroke patients. Generally, I am interested in how the location of a lesion influences behavioral changes. Specifically, I am investigating how lesion location modifies a patient's likelihood of developing post-stroke pain...

My research focuses on predicting treatment response to ketamine or transcranial magnetic stimulation for people with treatment-resistant depression with the overall goal to create a personalized medicine approach to treating depression. I aim to do this by using electroencephalography to measure...

In patient with lewy body disease, the protein alpha-synuclein aggregates, leading to severe multi-system symptoms, including hallucinations, loss of smell, dementia, imbalance, fluctuating confusion, and anxiety/depression. The main research goal of the Aldridge Laboratory is to understand the...

Dr. Aminzare is interested in employing and developing mathematical models, dynamical systems techniques, and numerical simulations to better understand the collective behavior of coupled cell networks. The main goal of this research is to study the effect of the intrinsic dynamics of network...

Research in my laboratory is aimed at understanding fundamental physiological properties of the eye and the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying a variety of complex eye diseases. Of primary interest are the glaucomas, a leading cause of blindness that affects approximately 70 million people...

My research interests are in human cognitive neuropsychology, with emphases in frontal lobe dysfunction, language processing, and cognitive/behavioral rehabilitation. The primary methods involve application of experimental cognitive and behavioral paradigms in patients with circumscribed brain...

Nancy C. Andreasen, M.D., Ph.D., is Andrew H. Woods Chair of Psychiatry at The University of Iowa College of Medicine. She is actively involved in neuroimaging research, which involves the use of structural MR imaging, functional MR, and positron emission tomography. In addition, she leads a team...

I study the mechanisms that regulate presynaptic homeostatic plasticity (PHP) at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ). This homeostatic process is essential to maintain stable synaptic outputs as defects in synaptic stability can contribute to neurological conditions such as ataxia, migraine...

Recent publications

We are interested in neural circuits that regulate feeding behavior and metabolism with a special emphasis on disease models of obesity and eating disorders. Using a variety of cutting edge circuit dissection approaches including optogenetic and pharmacogenetic tools, electrophysiology, imaging as...

Our vision has such a large dynamic range that we can adjust to see under the glaring light of high noon to traverse a desert or detect the small scattering of photons that reach our eye after traveling for 2.5 million light-years from the Andromeda Galaxy. How is this possible? One part of the...

Humans spend about a third of their life sleeping. Yet, our understanding of the cognitive, emotional and neurodevelopmental functions of this essential behavior and how these may be disrupted in clinical populations is still very limited. Sleep disturbances are observed in most major psychiatric...

Amy joined the Peg Nopoulos Laboratory in May 2020. Barry is working with Tim Koscik on a longitudinal project for spinocerebellar ataxia. She is interested in the structural and functional correlates of severe mental illness and what contributes to those differences. She obtained her bachelor’s...

Dr. Alex Bassuk is a Professor and Chair of Pediatrics, and holds the Joel and Jay Stead Chair for Leadership in Children's Medicine, and is Physician-in-Chief for University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. Dr. Bassuk is a member of the University of Iowa Graduate Programs in Genetics...

Recent publications

I am currently working a number of research projects investigating music and the brain. In one study, I am looking at how focal brain lesions affect the ability to recognize and name famous musical melodies. I also am working with a population of patients undergoing intracranial monitoring for...

Recent publications

I am interested in the role that glia play in the nervous system—particularly their actions at glutamatergic synapses. Recent publications