Welcome IHN’s Newest Lab Director: Dr. Rachel Spooner
The Institute for Human Neuroscience (IHN) at Boys Town National Research Hospital is proud to welcome Rachel Spooner, Ph.D. as its newest lab director and principal investigator. Dr. Spooner will direct the Translational Motor Imaging laboratory, focusing her research on improving the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment efficiency for individuals with cognitive and motor impairments across the lifespan.
Dr. Spooner is a clinical translational neuroscientist, meaning that the objective of her work is to be able to translate her research directly to clinical settings. She aims to develop novel diagnostic tools and treatment methods for nervous system disorders related to motor function. Motor function disorders may result in difficulties with balance, walking, speaking, and general coordination during daily activities. Populations of individuals with movement disorders Dr. Spooner aims to work with include individuals with Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, cerebral palsy, HIV infection, and cognitive impairment to name a few.
Well-trained in neuroimaging and neuromodulation, Dr. Spooner utilizes state-of-the-art analyses in magnetoencephalographic (MEG) imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), coupled with invasive and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques to study the brain and behavior. One area of expertise Dr. Spooner brings to IHN is her extensive knowledge and work with quantitative biological assays, particularly the mitochondrial redox environment and related inflammatory processes that can be measured in blood.
In our cells, mitochondria control a host of processes to ensure proper cellular function (e.g., acting as primary producers of cellular energy, regulating important chemicals to minimize damage, and managing downstream inflammation). Over time, the accumulation of certain biological factors linked to mitochondrial function can damage tissues in the body, including the brain. When these factors are not balanced, either too high or too low, they have been shown to contribute to the functional decline observed in individuals with neurodegenerative and age-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias, Parkinson’s disease, or other movement disorders.
When data from blood analyses are combined with emerging neuroscience methodologies, Dr. Spooner takes a systems biology approach to identifying and understanding motor function in both health and disease. This allows her to look at the bigger picture of complex systems to better evaluate underlying reasons for both healthy and abnormal motor functions as they evolve across the lifespan. She aims to use such data to inform personalized therapeutic interventions using invasive and non-invasive brain stimulation approaches. Her goal, to optimally alleviate cognitive-motor dysfunction on a patient-by-patient basis.
Dr. Spooner received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, under the direction of Dr. Tony Wilson. She recently finished her postdoctoral fellowship with renowned neuroimaging, brain stimulation, and movement disorder experts, Drs. Esther Florin and Alfons Schnitzler at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Welcome, Dr. Spooner!