Brendan Dougherty
BS, Physical Therapy, Maryville University

Student Profile:
Brendan Dougherty is a Physical Therapist and research scientist with the Department of Neuroscience and UF’s College of Medicine. He received his B.S. in Physical Therapy from Maryville University of St. Louis in 2000. For six years, Brendan worked clinically as a Physical Therapist with focus on neurological injuries in an in-patient rehabilitation setting. Brendan entered UF’s Interdiciplinary Program (IDP) in Biomedical Sciences with a Neuroscience concentration in 2006. He is mentored by Dr. David Fuller and his research uses cell transplantation techniques to improve respiratory recovery following cervical spinal cord injuries.

Research Project Description:
An estimated 11,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCI) occur in the United States each year. Most commonly, these injuries involve the neck (cervical) and are associated with complex upper and lower extremity motor and sensory impairments. Further, individuals with cervical SCI are susceptible to severe respiratory compromise do to disruption of respiratory motor pathways (phrenic motor system) that drive the diaphragm, our primary muscle of inspiration. This lab’s general research goal is to discover ways of improving respiratory function following high-level cervical SCI. Brendan's research specifically attempts to improve the functionality of phrenic motor neurons surviving a severe cervical lesion by reintroducing lost neurotransmitter innervation. In particular, Brendan is transplanting embryonic cells from the medulla (raphe nucleus) to replenish serotonin (5-HT) to surviving phrenic motoneurons. Since serotonin is important for setting the excitatory sensitivity of phrenic motoneurons and is involved in multiple forms of phrenic plasticity, this research will demonstrate if transplantation of these cells will enhance neural transmission between the brainstem and the diaphragm muscle leading to improved respiratory function.

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