USU Neuroscience

jtsao@usuhs.mil
 
M.D. Harvard Medical School
Ph.D., University of Oxford
 
Research Areas:
 
Mechanisms and treatment of phantom limb pain in amputees
Mechanisms of synapse and axon degeneration in developmental and pathological states
Detection of traumatic brain injury
Neurology telemedicine
Use of Botulinum toxin in the treatment of low back pain
 
Dr. Tsao's research interests include understanding the mechanism of and developing treatments for phantom limb pain in amputees. Mirror therapy is currently being used to treat phantom pain but the mechanism behind the efficacy of this therapy remains unknown. My colleagues and I are using functional magnetic resonance imaging to study brain activation patterns during mirror treatment. I also have a basic science laboratory effort which studies basic mechanisms of synapse and axon degeneration in both developmental and pathological states in the C57BL/WldS mouse, which carries a gene slowing degeneration after nerve injury. There are several additional funded research projects, which include developing optimal clinical screening tools for detecting traumatic brain injury, establishment of a telemedicine system for clinical neurology, and the use of Botulinum toxins in the treatment of low back pain.
 
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