Top Researchers
Top Neuroscience Researchers at West Virginia University for 2026
West Virginia University’s recent neuroscience output shows a broad mix of clinical, cognitive, and translational work. Across the last year, researchers have explored topics ranging from brain stimulation and stroke to memory, neuroimaging, and neurodegenerative disease.
Below, you’ll find a snapshot of the people behind this activity and the themes running through their recent publications. It offers a useful view of how neuroscience at West Virginia University connects patient care, basic mechanisms, and applied methods.
Featured Researchers
Ali R. Rezai
Ali R. Rezai’s recent work at West Virginia University centers on neurology, cognitive neuroscience, and biomedical engineering, with publications on focused ultrasound neuromodulation, substance use disorder, and sensorimotor oscillations.
Activity over the last year: 10 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Pre-movement sensorimotor oscillations shape the sense of agency by gating cortical connectivity (Apr 2025)
- Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation: Exploring a Novel Treatment for Severe Opioid Use Disorder (Jan 2025)
- Brain injury during focused ultrasound neuromodulation for substance use disorder (Oct 2025)
Nicholas Brandmeir
Nicholas Brandmeir’s recent publications at West Virginia University span neurology, cognitive neuroscience, and cellular and molecular neuroscience, including studies of memory coding in the human amygdala and hippocampus and neurocritical care.
Activity over the last year: 8 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- A neuronal code for object representation and memory in the human amygdala and hippocampus (Feb 2025)
- Feature-based encoding of face identity by single neurons in the human amygdala and hippocampus (Jun 2025)
- Active Cerebrospinal Fluid Exchange vs External Ventricular Drainage in the Neurocritical Care Unit: An International, Retrospective Cohort Study (Jun 2025)
Elisa Krackow
Elisa Krackow’s recent output at West Virginia University brings together cognitive neuroscience, developmental and educational psychology, and clinical psychology, with commentaries on traumatic memory, dissociative amnesia, and false memories.
Activity over the last year: 7 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- The neuroscience of dissociative amnesia and repressed memory: Premature conclusions and unanswered questions (Mar 2025)
- The weight of evidence regarding the nature of traumatic memories: A comment on Mazzoni et al. (Mar 2025)
- Possible factors associated with increased risk for false memories but decreased convictions in the British False Memory Society data: A comment on Patihis and Felstead (Mar 2025)
Jessica Frey
Jessica Frey’s recent work at West Virginia University links neurology, clinical psychology, and cellular and molecular neuroscience, including a curriculum piece on Neuro Day and articles on transcranial direct current stimulation and cerebellar ataxia.
Activity over the last year: 5 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
Victor Finomore
Victor Finomore’s recent publications at West Virginia University connect social psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and experimental and cognitive psychology, with a series focused on focused ultrasound neuromodulation for substance use disorder.
Activity over the last year: 6 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation: Exploring a Novel Treatment for Severe Opioid Use Disorder (Jan 2025)
- Brain injury during focused ultrasound neuromodulation for substance use disorder (Oct 2025)
- A case report of focused ultrasound neuromodulation of the bilateral nucleus accumbens for methamphetamine use disorder. (Sep 2025)
Dhairya A. Lakhani
Dhairya A. Lakhani’s recent work at West Virginia University draws on epidemiology, pulmonary and respiratory medicine, and neurology, including studies of stroke imaging, hemorrhagic transformation, and Parkinson’s disease diagnostics.
Activity over the last year: 5 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- The relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) < 42% is independently associated with hemorrhagic transformation in anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (Jan 2025)
- Comparative diagnostic efficacy of neuromelanin MRI vs. dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review (Jun 2025)
- Prolonged Venous Transit Is Associated With Unfavorable Outcomes in Anterior Circulation Distal Medium Vessel Stroke (Sep 2025)
Paul D. Chantler
Paul D. Chantler’s recent publications at West Virginia University span cardiology and cardiovascular medicine alongside complementary and alternative medicine, with work on cerebrovascular and neurocognitive function, stress, and Alzheimer’s disease models.
Activity over the last year: 5 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Nicotine influence on cerebrovascular and neurocognitive function with in utero electronic cigarette exposure (Oct 2025)
- Mid-life exposure to chronic stress accelerates cerebrovascular dysfunction and upregulates oxidative stress in Alzheimer's disease mice (Jul 2025)
- Chronic Stress Alters Oxidative Stress Pathways and Accelerates Alzheimer’s Disease Progression in 3xTg-AD Mice (May 2025)
Chadi A. Makary
Chadi A. Makary’s recent research at West Virginia University sits across otorhinolaryngology, surgery, and immunology and allergy, including studies of olfactory dysfunction, chronic rhinosinusitis, and migraine-related dysfunction.
Activity over the last year: 4 indexed journal articles.
Top publications:
- Olfactory Dysfunction Is Associated With Increased Risk of Trigeminal Dysfunction and Migraine: A Population‐Based Study (Nov 2025)
- Efficacy of endoscopic sinus surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis: a systematic review of systematic reviews (Oct 2025)
- Role of Neighborhood Deprivation on the Quality of Life of Adults With Chronic Rhinosinusitis (Jul 2025)
What West Virginia University's Neuroscience Community Is Working On
The most common subfields in this group are neurology and cognitive neuroscience, suggesting that West Virginia University researchers are actively balancing clinical questions with brain-behavior research. Cellular and molecular neuroscience also appears repeatedly, alongside clinical psychology, indicating interest in mechanisms, memory, and mental health as part of a wider neuroscience portfolio. Taken together, the recent work points to a community that is engaged in both patient-facing studies and foundational investigations, with strong overlap between diagnosis, intervention, and how the brain supports cognition and behavior.- Neurology - seen across 4 of the featured researchers
- Cognitive Neuroscience - seen across 4 of the featured researchers
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience - seen across 2 of the featured researchers
- Clinical Psychology - seen across 2 of the featured researchers
- Biomedical Engineering - seen across 1 of the featured researchers
Taken together, these recent publications suggest an active neuroscience community working across bedside questions and lab-based inquiry. If you’re tracking collaborators, following a department’s research profile, or organizing your own literature workflow, Resub can help with citation discovery, manuscript formatting, and submission preparation.
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