Assistant Research Professor, Clinical Neurophysiologist
College of Medicine
Department of Neuroscience
Center for Neuromodulation
S1016 Davis Medical Center
480 Medical Center Drive
Columbus, OH 43210
614-366-8149
Nicole.Young@osumc.edu
Research Interests
- Neuromodulation
- Neurostimulation
- Motor cortex physiology and anatomy
- Ideal and effective neurostimulation protocols and parameters
- Physiological and molecular mechanisms of learning and memory
- Fear and anxiety
- Behavioral motor recovery
- Animal models of epilepsy and neuroplasticity
- Comparative neuroanatomy
Research Lab Goals
Research supports the Center for Neuromodulation.
Current Research
Neural mechanisms of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in animal modelsagnetic stimulation and other forms of non-invasive stimulation to study and treat movement disorders and other clinical ailments.
Research Techniques
Scientific expertise
- Microelectrode recording (MER) and stimulation of deep brain structures to optimize final DBS lead placement in patients
- Motor system physiology and anatomy
- Stimulation parameters to induce movement and facilitate recovery of motor deficit
- Sensorimotor and somatotopic mapping
- Epilepsy
Physiological skills
- Microstimulation mapping (motor and sensory in rodents and primates)
- Electrophysiological placement of stimulation and recording electrodes for chronic implantation
- Making electrodes and stimulation leads
- Cortical stimulation for induction of long-term potentiation and long-term depression
Anatomical skills
- Developed flow fractionator (flow cytometry) for counting cells and neurons in neural tissue
- Light and fluorescence microscopy
- Immunohistochemistry
- Reconstruction and aliment of brain tissue sections
- Tissue perfusion and histological preparation
Behavioral skills
- Motor
- Skilled forelimb reaching
- Ladder walking
- Unskilled pasta matrix forelimb reaching
- Stair reaching task
- Anxiety
- Resistance-to-capture
- Open field
- Spatial memory
- Morris water maze
- Y-maze
- Depression
- Forced swim test
Background
Dr. Young has scientific expertise in motor and sensory systems neuroscience. She has more than 10 years of experience in mapping of cortical and subcortical motor and sensory systems that includes work in rodents, non-human primates and humans. A scientific expert in neurostimulation techniques, she has specialized experience as a clinical neurophysiologist and works closely with neurosurgeons to implant DBS leads in patients for Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia and OCD.
Education
PhD: Behavioural Neuroscience/Psychology, University of Calgary
Advisor: Dr G. Cam Teskey
MSc: Behavioural Neuroscience/Psychology, University of Calgary
Advisor: Dr G. Cam Teskey
Fellowships
Postdoctoral Fellowship: Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University
Advisor: Dr Jon Kaas Comparative
Primate Neuroanatomy and Evolutionary Psychology
Honors
- 2009 Certificate of Academic Excellence PhD thesis, Canadian Psychological Association
- 2007-2009 Doctoral Scholarship ($43,000), Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research
- 2007 Graduate Travel Award, University of Calgary
- 2005 Graduate Travel Award, University of Calgary
- 2005 Dean’s Research Excellence Award, University of Calgary
- 2004-2007 Doctoral Scholarship ($63,000), National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- 2004 Dean’s Entrance Scholarship, Ph.D., University of Calgary
- 2004 Dean’s Research Excellence Award
- 2004 Graduate Travel Award, University of Calgary
- 2004 Graduate Student Scholarship, Alberta Provincial Government
- 2003 Graduate Travel Award, University of Calgary
- 2002 Beth Parker Memorial Summer Student Bursary, Epilepsy Canada
- 2002 Best Undergraduate Research Presentation, 14th Annual Canadian Spring Conference for Brain and Behavior
- 2001 Dean’s List, Faculty of Science, Dalhousie University
- 1998 Entrance Scholarship, B.Sc., Dalhousie University