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Welcome to LRNLAB

Our laboratory is focused on solving translational neuroscience problems that are important for our society. 

We are focused on neurodegenerative diseases leading to Parkinsonism and Dementia.  We are focused on improving diagnostics, monitoring progression, and evaluating treatment outcomes. 

Welcome to LRNLAB

We focus on sensorimotor networks and pain using translational neuroscience and imaging technologies. 

Welcome to LRNLAB

We strive to create a research culture that is inclusive, enables lab members to work to their highest potential, advance new scientific discoveries, and develop the next generation of scientists, educators and leaders.

Lab Culture

Software Downloads

HMAT
HMAT

BGHAT
BGHAT

S-MATT
S-MATT

TCATT
TCATT

People

News

New paper in Neuroimage – Somatotopic organization in the human brain (1/20/2022) Unraveling somatotopic organization in the human brain using machine learning and adaptive supervoxel-based parcellations Link to abstract 2021 Dec 15;245:118710. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118710. Epub 2021 Nov 12.   Kyle B See, David J Arpin, David E Vaillancourt, Ruogu Fang, Stephen A Coombes   In addition to the well-established somatotopy in the pre- and post-central gyrus, there is now strong evidence […]
New Dystonia Paper in Science Translational Medicine (9/13/2021) Link to paper Abstract: Dystonias are a group of chronic movement–disabling disorders for which highly effective oral medications or disease-modifying therapies are lacking. The most effective treatments require invasive procedures such as deep brain stimulation. In this study, we used a high-throughput assay based on a monogenic form of dystonia, DYT1 (DYT-TOR1A), to screen a […]
Cell-specific effects of a Dyt1 knock-out model (7/8/2021) Abstract Pubmed Link DYT1 dystonia is a debilitating movement disorder characterized by repetitive, unintentional movements and postures. The disorder has been linked to mutation of the TOR1A/DYT1 gene encoding torsinA. Convergent evidence from studies in humans and animal models suggest that striatal medium spiny neurons and cholinergic neurons are important in DYT1 dystonia. What is […]
Cortical dynamics of movement-evoked pain in chronic low back pain (6/6/2021) Wei-En Wang  1 , Rachel L M Ho  1 , Bryan Gatto  2 , Susanne M van der Veen  3 , Matthew K Underation  3 , James S Thomas  3 , Ajay B Antony  4 , Stephen A Coombes  1 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33067807/ Abstract: Although experimental pain alters neural activity in the cortex, evidence of changes in neural activity in individuals with chronic low […]
Free-water in hippocampus is more sensitive than volume (12/19/2019) Ofori E1, DeKosky ST2, Febo M3, Colon-Perez L4, Chakrabarty P5, Duara R6, Adjouadi M7, Golde TE5, Vaillancourt DE8; Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31470214 Validating sensitive markers of hippocampal degeneration is fundamental for understanding neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that free-water in the hippocampus will be more sensitive to early stages of cognitive decline than hippocampal volume, […]
New study on DBS in Essential Tremor (12/19/2019) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31794958 OBJECTIVE:  Essential tremor (ET) prominently affects the upper-limbs during voluntary movements, but can also affect the lower-limbs, head, and chin. Although deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral intermediate nucleus (VIM) of thalamus improves both clinical ratings and quantitative measures of tremor, no study has quantified effects of DBS on tremor across multiple body […]
NEW Transcallosal Tract Template (TCATT) (7/11/2019) Development of a transcallosal tractography template and its application to dementia. Archer DB, Coombes SA, McFarland NR, DeKosky ST, Vaillancourt DE https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31260838 Abstract Understanding the architecture of transcallosal connections would allow for more specific assessments of neurodegeneration across many fields of neuroscience, neurology, and psychiatry. To map these connections, we conducted probabilistic tractography in 100 Human Connectome Project subjects […]
New article in PAIN – Functional Imaging in Chronic Pain (9/22/2018) Link to site Functional brain activity during motor control and pain processing in chronic jaw pain Roy, Arnaba; Wang, Wei-en; Ho, Rachel L.M.; Ribeiro-Dasilva, Margarete C.; Fillingim, Roger B; Coombes, Stephen A. Changes in brain function in chronic pain have been studied using paradigms that deliver acute pain-eliciting stimuli or assess the brain at rest. […]
Biomarkers in Parkinson’s – Science Trans Med (8/15/2018) Biomarkers Perspective Published in Science Translational Medicine http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/10/454/eaam6003    
Beta Band EEG Relates to Putamen fMRI in Parkinson (5/24/2018) Download Paper Abstract We investigated the effect of acute levodopa administration on movement-related cortical oscillations and movement velocity in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Patients with PD on and off medication and age- and sex-matched healthy controls performed a ballistic upper limb flexion movement as fast and accurately as possible while cortical oscillations were recorded with high-density […]

Facilities

There are four laboratories totaling approximately 1500 sq feet and one 250 square data processing laboratory. In addition, there is 1200 square foot of office space dedicated to the personnel working with the LRN group and dedicated for computing and printing, software and hardware development, and scientific meetings amongst collaborators. The laboratory is less than 1 mile from the CTSI Human Imaging Center facility within the McKnight Brain Institute where the 3T magnet is housed. The laboratory has ongoing studies in rodent that uses the 11T and 4.7T magnets in the McKnight Brain Institute.


 

 

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