The Rich Lab is proud to announce that we have received R03 support from the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
The project, entitled “Deciphering the mechanisms of action of vagus nerve stimulation in post-stroke rehabilitation using computational modeling,” aims to use in silico approaches to capture the effects of vagus nerve stimulation on brainstem activity and neuromodulatory output in the context of stroke recovery.
The first paper from the Rich Lab is now published in PLoS Computational Biology. This work was spearheaded by one of the lab’s first undergraduate research assistants, Sibi Pandian, who is now pursuing his Master’s degree at John Hopkins University.
The manuscript describes the first computational model of dynamic, time-varying cholinergic modulation of the muscarinic m-current and its effects on the synchronization properties of simplified in silico cortical microcircuits. This lays the foundation for the lab’s ongoing explorations into this topic as it relates to vagus nerve stimulation in post-stroke motor rehabilitation.
Dr. Rich was recently a guest on “The Bobby O Show” on Channel 23 in Danbury, Connecticut. You can watch his discussion of computational neuroscience below or on the Other Media page:
Dr. Rich was honored to speak at the Trinity College Neuroscience Program Seminar this week, outlining the findings motivating the lab’s research directions and (hopefully!) inspiring a new generation of computational neuroscientists.
The Rich Lab is excited to welcome another graduate student, Pablo Medina Lara, who has joined the lab for the start of the 2025-26 academic year! Learn more about him and the lab’s other members here.
The Rich Lab has received its first official grant via UConn’s Institute for Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBACS) Seed Grant program! This funding will accelerate our investigation of the mechanisms of Vagus Nerve Stimulation in post-stroke rehabilitation, via both computational modeling and clinical data collection.
The Rich Lab is excited to welcome another graduate student, Chris Engborg, who has joined the lab as of the Spring 2025 semester! Learn more about him and the lab’s other members here.
Undergraduate Research Assistant Tarun Shriram presented the Rich Lab’s first official poster this past week at UConn’s Fall Frontiers poster exhibition. Congrats Tarun!
The Rich lab’s first graduate student, Michael Schneider, has officially begun his studies with the beginning of the Fall 2024 semester! Learn more about him and the lab’s undergraduate research assistants here.
The Rich Lab has officially opened, as of January 2024, in the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology at UConn.
