Randolph J. Nudo, Ph.D.

Florida State University, 1985

Landon Center on Aging
3599 W. 36th Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66160
Phone: (913) 588-1247
Fax: (913) 588-1201
rnudo@kumc.edu

Research

Our laboratory is studying the brain's capacity for self-repair after damage. For example, following stroke, motor impairments are common. These range from inability to perform skillful movements with one hand, to speech disorders, to complete paralysis of one side of the body. It has been known for many years that stroke survivors recover some motor abilities in the weeks to months following the event. We utilize both non-human primate and rodent models of stroke recovery to determine the neurophysiologic, neuroanatomic, biochemical and molecular bases for recovery. By tracking changes in the structure and function of motor areas of the cerebral cortex as a result of a focal vascular infarct, we are beginning to describe the cascade of events that give rise to the reorganized brain. We are also studying novel forms of treatment in chronic stroke to enhance and accelerate the recovery process. These treatment interventions include physiotherapy, pharmacotherapy, or electrical stimulation therapy either alone or in combination. It is our goal to use these interdisciplinary approaches to translate directly the information we gain through brain plasticity research into effective clinical applications.

 

 

Selected Publications

Nudo, R.J., B. Wise, F. SiFuentes and G.W. Milliken (1996) Neural substrate for the effects of rehabilitation on motor recovery. Science, 272:1791-1794.

Friel, K.M., S. Barbay, S.B. Frost, E.J. Plautz, D.M. Hutchinson, A.M. Stowe, N. Dancause, E. B. Zoubina, B. M. Quaney, and R.J. Nudo (2005) Dissociation of sensorimotor deficits after rostral vs. caudal lesions in the primary motor cortex hand representation. Journal of Neurophysiology, 94:1312-1324.

Dancause, N., S. Barbay, S.B. Frost, E.J. Plauta, D. Chen, and R.J. Nudo (2005) Extensive cortical rewiring after brain injury. Journal of Neuroscience, 25:10167-10179.

Frost, S.B., S. Barbay, M. Mummert, A. M. Stowe and R.J. Nudo (2006).An animal model of white matter infarct: endothelin-1 injections in the rat. Begavioarl Brain Research, 169:206-11.

Nudo, R. J. (2006) Mechanisms for recovery of motor function following cortical damage. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 16:638-44.

Stowe, A.M., E.J. Plautz, I. Eisner-Janowicz, S. B. Frost, S. Barbay, E.V. Zoubina, N. Dancause, M. Tayor and R. J. Nudo (2007). VEGF protein associates to neurons in remote regions following cortical infarct. Journal of Cerebral Blood Glow and Metabolism, 27:76-85.

Lab Personnel

Scott Barbay Research Associate	Scott Bury Postdoctoral Fellow	Pei-chun Fang Postdoctoral Fellow
Shawn Frost Research Assistant Professor	David Guggenmos Graduate Student	Erik Plautz Research Assistant Professor
(Not Pictured)   Edward Urban III Graduate Student