Neurophysiology Lab hosts Prof. Gary Mouradian ’09
The Carthage Neurophysiology Lab, led by professors Justin Miller, Sarah Terrill, Paul Martino, and Dan Miller, welcomed back to campus esteemed neuroscience alumnus Professor Gary Mouradian ’09 as a research collaborator on Nov. 1.
Mr. Mouradian is currently an assistant professor of physiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. His lab focuses on unraveling the lung-brainstem axis to understand the neural control of breathing in chronic lung diseases in adults and extremely premature infants. Using transgenic mouse lines as models of chronic lung disease, the Mouradian Lab utilizes whole-body plethysmography and respirometry to measure breathing and exciting neuroscience techniques to manipulate brain function and neural mechanisms.
While on campus, Prof. Mouradian shared his expertise on the neural control of breathing and assisted in the final stages of building a custom whole-body plethysmograph to measure respiratory and cardiovascular activity in freely moving animals here at Carthage. This collaborative research project with Prof. Mouradian explores stress vulnerability in Wistar-Kyoto rats, an animal model of stress vulnerability. The addition of this new line of animal research will run in parallel with our established human neurophysiology research with the added capability to collect neurochemical and histological data. It will explore the various brain regions involved in the stress response.
This project to develop and build a custom whole-body plethysmograph was funded by the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) through an Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) award to Prof. Terrill. This innovative equipment aims to enhance our understanding of respiratory physiology and its implications for human health.
This collaboration with Prof. Mouradian is just beginning and promises to flourish in the years ahead. It will offer valuable research expertise and create opportunities for Carthage students to explore research at the Medical College of Wisconsin, establishing a pipeline for future endeavors.
Sponsoring Department, Office, or Organization:
Neuroscience Department
For more information, contact:
Sarah Terrill: sterrill@carthage.edu