Dr. Chris Risher
Dr. Risher’s lab is studying how exposure to opioids before birth can change the way brain cells connect in the prefrontal cortex, a key brain region that regulates decision-making and higher order cognition. Using advanced imaging (super-resolution STED microscopy) and spatial transcriptomics techniques, we map tiny connections between neurons and their support cells (astrocytes), together known as the tripartite synapse, and investigate how they are altered after prenatal opioid exposure. We then test how these structural changes affect cell-to-cell communication using electrophysiology. Our ultimate goal is to identify new molecular targets that regulate brain connectivity, with the possibility of guiding future therapies for children affected by neonatal opioid withdrawal and other consequences of prenatal drug exposure. The project is highly hands-on and student-driven, with master’s and undergraduate students performing crucial roles in sample processing, imaging, data analysis, and recordings. This allows them to gain valuable lab experience and learn about neuroscience research as a career, while also contributing to important discoveries that matter for West Virginia families.
Dr. Brandon Henderson
How do addictive substances alter the brain? How do they create addictive behaviors? All drugs of abuse (opioids, cocaine, methamphetamines, nicotine, etc) alter dopamine release in the brain. In the case of nicotine, the primary addictive component of tobacco products, dopamine neurons are altered so that more dopamine is released during their highly excitable (phasic) periods of activation.
The Neuropharmacology of Nicotine Addiction
Currently, our lab is studying how specific populations of neurons in the midbrain (dopaminergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic) are altered by nicotine (the primary addictive compound in tobacco products) and how this changes dopamine signaling in the brain. To do this, the Henderson lab uses techniques in the fields of electrophysiology, microscopy, pharmacology, and neuroscience to understand how nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (the molecular target of nicotine) play a role in the addiction to nicotine.
With the advent of electronic cigarettes, additional flavors that have been banned in traditional cigarettes are now available for smokers of all ages. Therefore, we also study how these flavors may alter the addiction to nicotine.
The Neuropharmacology of Opioid Addiction and the Co-Use of Tobacco with Opioids
Almost all opioid addicts (85 – 95%) exhibit high smoking rates. Opioid addicts undergoing treatment for addiction report significantly higher rates of cessation if they are non-smokers or if they choose to abstain from smoking during their treatment. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand how nicotine and opioids act synergistically in the brain. Our lab is beginning to examine the synergistic nature of nicotine and opioids by first examining reward-related behavior. Both opioids and nicotine independently alter dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) to provide rewarding and reinforcing properties. Therefore, our primary focus is the study of how nicotine, opioids, and both alter VTA dopamine neurons.
Dr. Mary-Louise Risher
My lab is particularly interested in adolescent brain development and how exposure to excessive alcohol during this period of time promotes cellular remodeling that persists into adulthood. The current study uses a combination of genetic mouse models, immunohistochemistry, super-resolution microscopy, and spatial transcriptomics to understand how synapses and peripheral astrocyte processes (that, in combination, form the tripartite synapse) structurally and functionally change across this development period. We further investigate how this complex relationship is perturbed by intermittent ethanol exposure.
Dr. Cheyenne Tait
The Tait lab is currently exploring the chemosensory system of fruit flies and sea slugs. Our larger goal is to understand how the brains of these supposedly “simple” animals generate complex, innate behaviors. The chemosensory system is a good place to start, as all organisms need to be able to respond appropriately to the chemical cues given off by food versus non-food odors. So, we are exploring across multiple levels of analysis to understand the umwelt, the worldview, of our organisms.
This semester, some of the lab members have been modeling protein receptors and their interactions with odor ligand molecules using Alphafold, a software powered by AI that makes modeling these structures possible. Many others across the lab have been performing microdissections of sea slug and fruit fly brains, to label them with different probes and understand how neurons and neuron circuits in these brains are structured according to their gene and protein expression.
At larger scales of analysis, we are also recording the behavior of our sea slugs in response to food, before and after experimental lesioning and/or stressful events (starvation or challenged with a predatory sea spider). Trajectories of their journey to a piece of food are being analyzed using automated machine-learning methods. Finally, we are using immunohistochemical methods and setting up electrophysiological methods to capture activity of the neurons and brain in response to different odors, in both our research organisms.
Dr. Sadia Akter
Our research team focuses on advancing bioinformatics, computational biology, biomedical data science, and artificial intelligence (AI) to investigate the molecular mechanisms of complex human diseases. We focus on analyzing high-dimensional transcriptomic data—including bulk RNA-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, and spatial transcriptomics—to study asthma, tuberculosis, COVID-19, and neurological disorders. In our asthma research, we apply advanced statistical and machine learning methods to identify biologically distinct subtypes, model gene-environment interactions, and discover molecular biomarkers across genetic, transcriptomic, and clinical datasets. These efforts support improved disease stratification and precision medicine, particularly in high-burden and underserved populations. In neurological disease research, we leverage secondary next-generation sequencing (NGS) datasets to study Alzheimer’s disease and substance use disorder (SUD). We analyze publicly available omics data to identify biomarkers and other molecular signatures, while collaborative spatial transcriptomics (ST) projects enable us to explore cellular architecture and regional vulnerability in the brain. We also engage in collaborative research on tuberculosis, using single-cell RNA-seq to characterize immune cell heterogeneity and identify host gene expression patterns linked to infection and vaccine development.
Across all projects, we build reproducible computational pipelines for data processing, dimensionality reduction, biomarker discovery, and pathway analysis. Supported by NIH and NSF funding, our team is committed to developing scalable and transparent tools that promote equity and innovation in biomedical Informatics research.