Neurophysiology Lab students present at Second Annual American Physiology Summit

Hannah Poff ’24 (left) and Kate Talens ’24 (right) presenting one of three posters at the American Physiological Society Summit. Carthage students mentored by professors Justin Miller, Sarah Terrill, Paul Martino, and Dan Miller presented their research last week at the second annual American Physiology Summit in Long Beach, California.

This conference was hosted by the American Physiological Society, which was founded in 1887 and consists of nearly 10,000 scientists and educators worldwide. The members of this society are committed to driving physiology and related biomedical research that contributes to advancing treatments for everything from cancer and heart disease, to obesity and addiction. This international conference was attended by over 3,100 physiologists from 43 countries.

Hannah Poff ’24 and Kate Talens ’24 explaining their research to Carthage collaborator Professor Todd Allen from the University of Northern Colorado. Luke Elhert ’24 (neuroscience/psychology major), Hannah Poff ’24 (biology major), Kate Talens ’24 (biology major), and Connor Wiseman ’24 (neuroscience major) presented their research that explored several aspects of stress vulnerability and respiratory reflexes in humans.

Each of their abstracts will be published in a supplement to the journal Physiology in May 2024, and their posters were included in the “Autonomic Balance: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic” section of the conference. A summary of this research will be presented to the Carthage community at the annual Celebration of Scholars event on Saturday, May 4.

Titles of abstracts/posters

• Luke Elhert ’24: During Exposure to 3%, 5%, and 7% CO2, Both Behaviorally Inhibited and Non-Behaviorally Inhibited Individuals Increased Minute Ventilation Through Different Mechanisms
• Connor Wiseman ’24: Behaviorally Inhibited Individuals Learn to Avoid Transdermal Stimulation More Quickly, and This Learning is Accelerated Throughout the Study
• Hannah Poff ’24 and Kate Talens ’24: The Effect of Breathing Room Air With and Without a Breathing Valve on HRV in BI and NBI College-Age Students

Luke Ehert ’24 (middle) and Conner Wiseman ’24 (right) with Carthage alumnus Professor Gary Mouradian ’09 (left). The work presented at this conference is a continuation of our lab’s previously published findings in Frontiers of Neuroscience journal in 2020, which was included in a Frontiers e-book: “Horizon 2030: Innovative Applications of Heart Rate Variability.” This resulted in the beginning of a new collaboration with Gary Mouradian ’09, assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Prof. Mouradian is an expert in neurorespiratory physiology and will assist the Carthage Neurophysiology Lab in building a custom-made plethysmograph to measure respiratory and cardiovascular activity in freely moving animals.

Conner Wiseman ’24 presenting his data at the American Physiological Society Summit. This collaboration will investigate stress vulnerability in Wistar-Kyoto rats, an animal model of stress vulnerability. The addition of this new line of animal research will run in parallel with our human research with the added capability to collect neurochemical and histological data, and will explore the various brain regions involved in the stress response.

Kate and Hannah are applying to physician assistant (PA) school, and Connor is applying to medical school. Luke was recently accepted into the Neuroscience Research Doctoral Program at the Medical College of Wisconsin and is one of several students from the Carthage Neurophysiology Lab who have successfully been placed in a graduate program.

Sponsoring Department, Office, or Organization:

Biology Department