Associate Director and Professor
Department of Physical Therapy
Center for Respiratory Research and Rehabilitation
College of Public Health and Health Professions
Department of Neurology
College of Medicine
Dr. Fuller’s research program is aimed at understanding how neuroplasticity in the brain and spinal cord influences the control of breathing. The overall hypothesis driving the work in Dr. Fuller’s laboratory is that appropriate induction of neuroplasticity has the potential to improve respiratory muscle control in cases of injury or disease, thereby reducing dependence on mechanical ventilators and improving the quality of life for certain patients. Dr. Fuller’s laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach to explore the relationship between neural plasticity and breathing. Current projects focus on
- mechanisms of spinal plasticity induced by rehabilitative training
- identifying strategies to improve respiratory motor recovery following spinal cord injury
- using gene delivery to respiratory motoneurons as a tool for improving breathing in certain disease states
Publications:
Homepage: