The goal of the NextGen Cardiovascular, Muscle & Metabolism Science Seminar is to highlight transdisciplinary precision research taking place in cardiovascular, muscle and metabolism fields; provide opportunities for collaboration among researchers to build their own research efforts; and promote clinical/researcher activity across the University of Missouri System and our partners.

For questions about this event, please reach out to Veronica Lemme lemmev@health.missouri.edu.

“Down & Back Again: The Spinal Cord May Lead the Way to Laryngeal Regulation”

Speaker: Teresa Pitts, Ph.D., Department Chair and Associate Professor, College of Health Sciences, and Dalton Cardiovascular Center Investigator, University of Missouri

Date: April 15, 2024, noon-1:00 p.m.

Location: Tom and Linda Atkins Family Seminar Room, Roy Blunt NextGen Precision Health building 

*Zoom option available

Register Here

Description

The larynx is the valve controlling access to the lungs for breathing and preventing food/liquid from entering during swallow. Despite the laryngeal muscles ability to produce stereotypic movements during a host of behaviors (speech, cough, laryngeal adductor reflex, breathing and swallow) most diseases/disorders impact its function, leading to impaired airway protection and risk of aspiration pneumonia. Our recent work suggests that the spinal cord may be a key player in regulating the larynx, leading to clinical implications for patients following spinal cord injury and potential therapeutic targets.

About the Speaker

Teresa Pitts, Ph.D., is a clinically trained speech language pathologist who specialized in laryngeal disorders. Following her Ph.D., she transitioned from the bedside to the bench to study the neurophysiology of cough and swallow. She is an National Institutes of Health funded investigator, the chair of the Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences Department in the College of Health Sciences and a Dalton Cardiovascular Center investigator.