Friday, February 27, 2015
Center for Research continues seminar series with focus on neuroscience
Fri, 27 Feb 2015Troy Burnett :: LUCOM Marketing
On February 19, the new Center for Research at Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) held its second installment of the recently announced Biomedical Frontiers Seminar Series. Lead by Joseph Brewer, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research, this month’s seminar featured Jason Wells, Ph.D., Chair (Division of Neurosciences) and Vice-Chair of the Department of Anatomical Sciences, and Charles Joseph, M.D., Assistant Professor of Neurology in the Department of Primary Care.
Dr. Wells began the evening with his presentation entitled “Painting a Picture of Pain,” highlighting his studies on the trigeminal ganglion and nerve to find alternatives to treating pain.
Dr. Wells highlighted that his test subjects displayed frequent Ih currents when their pain waves were measured. He also explained that there are less potassium channels in an injured cell though the sodium channel increases with that same injured cell. Dr. Wells commented that his reasoning for conducting his research originated from an issue that plagued West Virginia. “In the Appalachia region of the United States, there is an overwhelming struggle with an abuse of prescription narcotics. Considering the amount of time I spent in West Virginia, which is a part of the Appalachia region, I wanted my research to be useful to the people of my region.”
Dr. Wells also went on to explain that in recent studies West Virginia was recognized as leading the nation in drug overdose deaths. “The majority of these deaths are attributed to the abuse of addictive prescription drugs. My hope is to uncover an alternative, non-addictive way to manage pain, while continuing this research here at LUCOM.”
After a brief introduction from Dr. Brewer, Charles Joseph, M.D., a graduate from Temple University School of Medicine, continued the seminar with his presentation concerning future clinical research to be conducted within the new Center for Research. Appropriately entitled “Toward Building a Clinical Research Program,” Dr. Joseph shared his vision for the study of medical statistics, Alzheimer’s disease, and the biology of memory.
“For our initial summer projects one of the main goals is to focus on building statistically sound verifiable clinical examination skills.” Dr. Joseph continued saying, “We want to help our students understand the importance and utilization of statistics and their accurate interpretation in the practice of medicine. Once that foundation is built, we can then move on to intermediate and long-term projects.”
Those intermediate and long-term projects include studying memory enhancement techniques in Alzheimer’s patients and understanding the biology of memory. “There has been previous extensive studies on memory. Recent studies demonstrate that brain recalls music and music patterns more than other memories,” said Dr. Joseph.
Concluding his presentation, Dr. Joseph said, “I would also like to take a more in-depth look at Astrocytes, a glial cell of the central nervous system. They are the most abundant cells of the human brain, and they perform many functions. It has also been debated if they are integrated in the learning and memory storage process. This is my hope to research: are Astrocytes the main players in development, storage, and retrieval of memory?”
The Center of Research will continue its Biomedical Frontiers Seminar Series on March 19 and April 16, at 5:30 p.m. This is an open public forum with light refreshments served.