Current Graduate Students

Neuroscience Graduate Students

Name:

Raymond Anderson

Education:

B.S., Psychology and Biology, University of South Dakota

Advisor:

Dr. David Smith
Research Interests:

Mechanics of Proteasome Function

Achievements:
Publication
- DeVallance E, Branyan K, Lemaster KA, Anderson RT, Marshall KL, Olfert M, Smith DM, Bryner R, Frisbee J, Chantler P (2019) Exercise training prevents the perivascular adipose tissue-induced aortic dysfunction with metabolic syndrome. Redox Biology.
- Smith JP, Prince MA, Achua JK, Robertson JM, Anderson RT, Ronan PJ, Summers CH (2016).Intensity of anxiety is modified via complex integrative stress circuitries. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 63: 351-361.
- Snoberger A, Anderson RT, Smith DM (2017). The proteasomal ATPases use a slow moving but high power strategy to unfold proteins. Frontiers Molecular Biosciences.
- Thibaudeau TA, Anderson RT, Smith DM. (2018). A Common mechanism of proteasome impairment by neurodegenerative disease-associated oligomers. Nature Communications.
Award
- 2^nd place poster presentation. Appalachian Regional Cell Conference, October 2016
- WVU Travel Award recipient. November 2016
- American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists – President, July 2017 – August 2018
- F-31 Pre-doctoral Fellowship. December 2017-Present
Name:

Philip Bender

Education:

B.S., Biology, University at Albany, SUNY, M.H.S., Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Advisor:

Dr. Charles Anderson

Research Interests:

Auditory processing and synaptic zinc
Name:

Jacob Boos

Education:

B.S., Biology, St. Edward's University

Advisor:

Dr. Werner Geldenhuys
Research Interests:

Neurodegenerative Diseases - Alzheimer's Disease in particular

Achievements:
Award
- T32 Trainee, Stroke and its Comorbidities T32 Training Grant, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. May 2019-Present.
- Dr. James Stevenson Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Scholarship, April 2019.
Name:

Jacob Bumgarner

Education:

B.M., Piano Performance, West Virginia University

Advisor:

Dr. Randy Nelson
Research Interests:

Disruption of circadian rhythms, pain, and stroke.

Achievements:
Publication
- Bumgarner JR, Walker II WH, Liu JA, Walton JC, Nelson RJ (2020) Dim light at night exposure induces cold hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia in male mice. Neuroscience (In Press).
- Walker II WH, Bumgarner JR, Nelson RJ, DeVries AC. (2020). Transcardial Perfusion is not Required to Accurately Measure Cytokines within the Brain. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 108601.
- Sprowls SA, Arsiwala TA, Bumgarner JR, Shah N, Lateef SS, Kielkowski BN, Lockman PR. (2019). Improving CNS Delivery to Brain Metastases by Blood-Tumor Barrier Disruption. Trends Cancer 5, 495-505.
Award
- NIH T32 Stroke and its Comorbidities Associate Scholar, 2020
- Arlen G. & Louise Stone Swiger Fellowship, 2019 – Present
- Order of Augusta Scholar, 2019
Name:

Emily Burrage

Education:

B.S., Neuroscience, Minor in Chemistry, Bay Path University

Advisor:

Dr. Paul Chantler
Research Interests:

The role of stress and obesity on the neurovascular unit

Achievements:
Publication
- Burrage E, Marshall K.L, Santanam N, and Chantler PD. Cerebrovascular dysfunction with stress and depression. Brain Circulation. 4(2) 43-53, 2018. PMID: 30276336
- O’Connell GE, Walsh K, Burrage E, Adeoye O, Chantler PD, AND Barr TL. High-throughput profiling reveals widespread sex-associated differences in the composition of circulating proteome following ischemic stroke. Physiological Genomics. 50(10):876-883, 2018. PMID:30029587
Award
- Stroke and its Co-Morbidities T32 Associate, West Virginia University 2019-current
- Toxicology Working Group Travel Award, West Virginia University 2019
- Stroke and its Co-Morbidities T32 Fellow, West Virginia University 2018-2019
Name:

Alexis Crockett

Education:

B.S., Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University

Advisor:

Dr. Visvanathan Ramamurthy

Research Interests:

Neurodegeneration
Name:

Rachel Hostetler

Education:

B.S., Neuroscience and German Studies, University of Minnesota

Advisor:

Dr. Aric Agmon
Research Interests:

Investigating the diverse roles of the somatostatin-containing inhibitory interneurons in cerebral cortex circuitry and their involvement in associative learning.

Achievements:
Publication
- Hu X, Urhie O, Chang K, Hostetler R, Agmon A (2018) A Novel Method for Training Mice in Visuo-Tactile 3-D Object Discrimination and Recognition. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 12.
Award
- 2020 Outstanding Service Award- WVU Office of Research and Graduate Education
- 2018-2020: Trainee, NIH T32 "Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences" Training Grant NIGMS GM081741
- 2017-2018: Associate Scholar, NIH T32 "Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences" Training Grant NIGMS GM081741
Name:

Jennifer Liu

Education:

B.S., Biology, Utica College

Advisor:

Dr. Randy Nelson
Research Interests:

Chronobiology, Circadian Disruptions, and the role of Dim Light at Night on Physiology in the context of Stroke

Achievements:
Publication
- Bumgarner JR, Walker II WH, Liu JA, Walton JC, Nelson RJ (2020) Dim light at night exposure induces cold hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia in male mice. Neuroscience (In Press).
Name:

Mason McCollum

Education:

B.S., Biochemistry, Mercyhurst University

Advisor:

Dr. Charles Anderson
Research Interests:

Auditory processing and synaptic zinc

Achievements:
Award
- Neuroscience Graduate Program Committee- Student Representative 2020- Present
- The National Society of Leadership and Success- Member 2020- Present
- Behavioral & Biomedical Sciences- Associate Scholar 2019- Present
Name:

Tyler McGaughey

Education:

B.S., Biology & Chemistry, Hampden Sydney College

Advisor:

Dr. Victor Finomore
Research Interests:

Functional neuroimaging, chronic lower back pain, and endogenous pain modulation mechanisms.

Achievements:
Publication
- Fischer, K. M., Scott, T., Browe D., McGaughey T. A., Woods, C., Wolyniak, M. J., & Freeman J. W. (2020). Hydrogels for Skeletal Muscle Regeneration. Regenerative Engineering and Translation Medicine
Award
- Behavior and Biomedical Sciences Research Training Program – Morgantown, WV August 2019 – Present NIGMS T32 Training Grant GM132494
Name:

Hecmarie Melendez-Fernandez

Education:

B.S., Integrative Biology, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus

Advisor:

Dr. Randy Nelson
Research Interests:

Circadian biology disruption focused on health outcomes, particularly as it relates to recovery after injury (cardiac arrest, stroke, neuroinflammation), affective disorders and ageing.

Achievements:
Publication
- Walker, W. H.*, Meléndez‐Fernández, O. H.*, Pascoe, J. L., Zhang, N., & DeVries, A.C., (2020). Social Enrichment Attenuates Chemotherapy Induced Neuroinflammation and Affective Behavior via Oxytocin Signaling (In press at Brain Behavior and Immunity)
- Walker II, W.H., Meléndez-Fernández, O.H., Nelson, R.J., & Reiter, R.J. (2019). Global climate change and invariable photoperiods: A mismatch that jeopardizes animal fitness. Ecology and Evolution, 9: 10044-10054.
- Walker II, W.H.*, Meléndez-Fernández, O.H.*., & Nelson, R.J. (2019). Prior exposure to dim light at night impairs dermal wound healing in female C57BL/6 mice. Archives of Dermatological Research, 311: 573-576. *authors contributed equally
- Walker II, W.H., Borniger, J.C., Gaudier-Diaz, M.M., Meléndez-Fernández, O.H., Pascoe, J. L., DeVries, A.C., & Nelson, R.J. (2019). Acute exposure to low-level light at night is sufficient to induce neurological changes and depressive-like behavior. Molecular Psychiatry, 25: 1080-1083.
- Fonken, L.K.*, Meléndez-Fernández, O.H.*, Weil, Z.M., & Nelson, R.J. (2014). Exercise attenuates the effects of dim light at night on metabolism. Physiology and Behavior, 124: 33-36.
- Fonken, L.K., Aubrecht, T.G., Meléndez-Fernández, O.H., Weil, Z.M., & Nelson, R.J. (2013). Dim light at night disrupts molecular circadian rhythms and increases body weight. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 28: 262-271.
Award
- Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences T32 Training grant affiliate scholar. West Virginia University. NIGMS grant T32 GM081741.
Name:

Sree Motipally

Education:

B.S., Microbiology, Genetics and Chemistry, M.S., Biotechnology, Osmania University, M.S., Biology, West Virginia University

Advisor:

Dr. Saravanan Kolandaivelu
Research Interests:

Neurodegeneration and rescue

Achievements:
Publication
- Motipally, S.I., Allen, K.M., Williamson, D.K., and Marsat, G.(2019). Differences in Sodium Channel Densities in the Apical Dendrites of Pyramidal Cells of the Electrosensory Lateral Line Lobe. Front. Neural Circuits 13:41.doi: 10.3389/fncir.2019.00041
Name:

Deidre O'Dell

Education:

B.S., Biology, California University of Pennsylvania, M.S., Human Biology, Chatham University

Advisor:

Dr. Bernard Schreurs
Research Interests:

Learning and memory, development, perineuronal nets, cerebellum, behavior, PTSD, AD

Achievements:
Publication
- Wang, D, Smith-Bell, CA, Burhans, LB, O'Dell, DE, Bell, RW, Schreurs, BG, (2018). Changes in membrane properties of rat deep cerebellar nuclear projection neurons during acquisition of eyeblink conditioning, PNAS.
Award
- 2019 Second Place poster at the Appalachian Regional Cell Conference, Morgantown WV
- 2018 Rising Star Award for Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience
- 2016 - 2018 BBS T32 Trainee
Name:

Robin Oliverio

Education:

B.S., Biology, West Virginia University

Advisor:

Dr. Zachary Weil

Research Interests:

Traumatic Brain Injury and Alcohol Use Disorder
Name:

James Scripter

Education:

B.S., Biology, Westfield State University

Advisor:

Dr. Eric Tucker

Research Interests:

I am researching the effects of the c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) signaling pathway on Thalamocortical Axon development and examining the mechanisms of Thalamocortical Axon projections by observing guidance cues in JNK cTKO brains.
Name:

Catherine Smoot (Smith)

Education:

B.S., Biology, Oregon State University

Advisor:

Dr. Eric Tucker
Research Interests:

I am studying the role of the novel gene map3k12 binding inhibitory protein (Mbip) in cortical interneuron development using novel genetic mouse models, with a focus on assessing the effects of genetic knockout on postnatal anatomical structure and animal behavior.

Achievements:
Publication
- Abigail K. Myers, Jessica G. Cunningham, Skye E. Hickling, John P. Snow, Catherine A. Smoot, and Eric S. Tucker. "JNK signaling is required for proper tangential migration and laminar allocation of cortical interneurons," Development 2020.
- Brett D. Dufour, Catherine A. Smith, Randall L. Clark, Timothy Walker and Jodi L. McBride. “Intra-jugular vein delivery of AAV9-RNAi prevents neuropathological changes and weight loss in Huntington’s disease mice,” Molecular Therapy 2014.
Award
- Travel Award for Brain Camp Participation, Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University
- 2019 2nd Place Graduate Student Talk, Appalachian Regional Cell Biology Conference, West Virginia University
- 2019 Travel Award for Success in ARCC preparation, Cell Biology Training Program, West Virginia University
- July 2017 - June 2018 Schoepp Neuroscience Research Student Fellowship Award
Name:

Ariel Thomas

Education:

B.A., Biology/Neuroscience, West Virginia University

Advisor:

Dr. Valeriya Gritsenko
Research Interests:

Motor control, Stroke, Rehabilitation, Virtual Reality, Modeling

Achievements:
Publication
- Thomas, A., Olesh, E., Adcock, A., and Gritsenko, V. (2019) Force-based assessment captures unseen changes in normal and abnormal arm motion. bioArxiv preprint.
- K. Blair, L. Kaptis, J. Keeting, A.Wright, A.Thomas, M.Boots, A. Sobinov, and V. Gritsenko (2018) The Use of Electromyography of Hand and Wrist Motions for the Development of a Virtual Reality Prosthesis: A Mechanism Study. WVU Doctor of Physical Therapy Research Thesis
- Bradley SP, Chapman PD, Thomas A, Daly KC (2016) Olfactory network function is modulated by flight motor pattern generating centers: Evidence for the first corollary discharge circuit to an olfactory pathway, Chemical Senses 1(9):E140-E140
Award
- National Institute on Aging T32 Fellowship, AG052375
- Arlen G. and Louise Stone Swiger Fellowship
- American Councils for International Education Business, Technology and Innovation Scholarship
- Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute Trainee Travel Award
- Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center Doctoral Student Travel Award
Name:

Bailey Whitehead

Education:

B.S., Neuroscience & Psychology, Central Michigan University

Advisor:

Dr. Zachary Weil
Research Interests:

Metabolic Responses after Traumatic Brain Injury, Stroke and TBI Co-morbidities

Achievements:
Award
- NIH T32 Stroke and its Comorbidities Associate Scholar, 2020

Neuroscience M.D./Ph.D. Candidates

Name:

Divine Nwafor

Education:

B.Sc., Biochemisty, West Virginia University

Advisor:

Dr. Candice Brown
Research Interests:

Sepsis, Alzheimer’s disease and Traumatic Brain Injury

Achievements:
Publication
- Nwafor D, Zdilla, MJ, Petrone, AB, and Lambert, HW. Bilateral elongated styloid processes with a unilateral triticeal cartilage in the stylohyoid ligament: Implications in Eagle syndrome. Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy.
- Kundu B, Lucke-Wold B, Foster C, MD, Englot DJ, Urhie O, Nwafor D, Rolston JD. Fornicotomy for the Treatment of Epilepsy: a Re-examination of the Literature. Neurosurgery.
- Brichacek AL, Benkovic SA, Chakraborty S, Nwafor DC, Wang W, Jun S, Geldenhuys WJ, Pinkerton AB, Millán JL, Brown CM. Systemic inhibition of tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase alters the brain-immune axis in experimental sepsis. Scientific Reports.
- Nwafor DC, Chakraborty S, Brichacek AL, Jun S, Gambill CA, Benkovic SA, Engler-Chiurazzi E, Dakhlallah D, Brown CM. Loss of tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) enzyme activity in brain microvasculature is coupled to dysfunction of neuroimmune axis and persistence neuroinflammation post-sepsis. Brain, Behavior and Immunity.
- Nwafor DC, Brichacek AL, Chakraborty S, Benkovic SA, Gambill CA, Brown CM. Neuroendocrine and Neuroimmune Mechanisms Regulating Blood-brain Barrier. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Neuroscience.
- Nwafor DC, Petrone AB, Collins JM, Adcock AK. Paraneoplastic Opsoclonus Myoclonus in a Patient with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Case Reports in Neurological Medicine. April 2019:1-3. doi:10.1155/2019/3601026.
- Nwafor, D, Brichacek A, Griffith A, Mohammed A, Lucke-Wold B, Geldenhuys W, Lockman P, Brown C. Targeting the Blood-Brain Barrier to Prevent Sepsis-Associated Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Central Nervous System Disease. April 2019. doi:10.1177/1179573519840652.
- Nwafor, D., Radwan, W., Lucke-Wold, B., Underwood, W., Gyure, K., Marsh, R., (2018). Follicular lymphoma presenting as scalp mass deformity: Case Report and Review of the literature. Biomedical Research and Clinical Practice, 3(1): 1-3
- Lucke-Wold, B., Nolan, R., Nwafor, D., Nguyen, L., Cheyuo, C., Rosen, C., Marsh, R.,Turner, R., Marsh, R., (2018). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Delineating the Progression and Underlying Mechanisms Following Blast Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurosci Neuropharm 4:118.
- Nwafor, D., Brichacek, A., Griffith, A., Mohammed, A., Lucke-Wold, B., Geldenhuys, W., Lockman, P., Brown, C., (2018). Targeting the Blood-Brain Barrier to Prevent Sepsis-Associated Cognitive Impairment. Journal of Central Nervous System Disease. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1179573519840652
- Nwafor D, Zdilla, M.J., Petrone, A.B., and Lambert, H.W. (2018). Bilateral elongated styloid processes with a unilateral triticeal cartilage in the stylohyoid ligament: Implications in Eagle syndrome. Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy
- Divine C. Nwafor, Ashley B. Petrone, Joseph M. Collins, and Amelia K. Adcock. (2019). Paraneoplastic Opsoclonus Myoclonus with Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.
  
  Case Rep Neurol Med. 2019 Apr 16;2019:3601026. doi: 10.1155/2019/3601026.
- Bornali Kundu, MD, PhD*, Brandon Lucke-Wold, MD, PhD*, Chase Foster, MD, Dario J. Englot, MD, PhD, Ogaga Urhie, Divine Nwafor, John D. Rolston, MD, PhD. (2018). Fornicotomy for the Treatment of Epilepsy: a Re-examination of the Literature. Neurosurgery, nyz554, https://doi.org/10.1093/neuros/nyz554
Award
- 2020 American Physician Scientist Association (APSA) Travel Award
- 2019 Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute Excellence Award
- 2019 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) Travel Award
- 2018 - 2020 NIH T32 Stroke and Co-morbidities Associate Scholar
- 2018 Stevenson Behavioral and Biomedical Sciences Scholarship
- 2018 WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute Travel Award
- 2017 IDeA Southeast Regional Conference Poster Award (3^rdPlace)
- 2017 WVU E. Van Liere Conference Poster Award (1^stPlace)
- 2016 Mountaineer Medical Scholarship
- 2015 WVU Order of Augusta Award
- 2015 WVU Foundation Outstanding Graduating Senior Award
- 2015 Woodburn Circle Society Recognition Dinner
- 2015 Gamma Sigma Delta Inductee Recognition Dinner
- 2015 Gamma Sigma Delta Outstanding Senior Award
- 2014 Woodburn Circle Society Recognition Dinner
- 2014 Gamma Sigma Delta Outstanding Sophomore Award
- 2014 Davis College Alumni Scholarship
- 2013 WVU International Student Merit Scholarship
- 2011 - 2015 President’s List
Name:

Rachel Taitano

Education:

B.S., Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech

Advisor:

Dr. Valeriya Gritsenko

Research Interests:

Neural control of movement, motor learning, modeling