People

Cristin Welle, PhD

Principal Investigator

Dr. Welle is a systems neurophysiologist with expertise in the interaction between medical devices and the nervous system . . .

Adrienne Ellett, MS

Clinical Research Coordinator

Adrienne is investigating the role of taVNS on fine motor skills in patients with MS

Kimberly Gagnon

PhD Candidate, Neuroscience

Kim is exploring the effect of behaviorally relevant and temporally precise neuromodulator release . . .

Simone Capuani, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Simone is investigating cholinergic function in VNS-driven neural plasticity during recovery from stroke.

Elise Carter

Masters Student

Elise is a PhD student in Bioengineering working on developing new technology to stimulate the auricular vagus nerve. . .

Shayok (Shay) Dutta, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Shay is exploring how VNS intersects with cognitive function and memory formation.

Anthony Chavez

Technical Expertise

Anthony is our mouse guru who keeps our colonies in order, and helps keep us in order too!

Spencer Bowles, PhD

Spencer earned a BS in Neuroscience and Psychology at Regis University. He obtained his Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Cristin Welle where he studied the role of cholinergic signaling in endogenous and VNS-enhanced motor learning. He used chronically implanted stimulating and recording electrodes, in vivo optogenetics, and markerless kinematic tracking to explore the changes in neural activity and behavior that accompany motor learning. Spencer will be continuing his post-doctoral training in the lab of Dr. Mackenzie Mathis.

Dailey Nettles, PhD

Dailey Nettles obtained her Ph.D. jointly in the labs of Dr. Cristin Welle & Dr. Ethan Hughes, where she studied the role of myelin in motor cortex circuit function. She used both chronically implanted NeuroNexus and acutely implanted Neuropixel extracellular recording arrays in mice throughout demyelination and remyelination to study single-cell activity changes. She found that myelin loss causes neuronal hyperexcitability that recovers with partial remyelination. Dailey is now a post-doc at the Medical University of South Carolina.