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Research Interests |
TONY W. WILSON, PhD 222 Clarkson Doctor's Building South Phone: 402-552-6431 Keywords: Pharmaco-MEG; functional connectivity; human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); spatial filtering; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); Parkinson’s disease Current work in Dr. Wilson’s Laboratory focuses on the application of neurophysiological imaging methods for understanding the basic pathophysiology of disease and for quantifying neuronal changes that accompany pharmacotherapies and/or behavioral interventions directed at these diseases.
The primary neurophysiological focus is on high- and ultra high-frequency cortical oscillations due to their known role in information processing and network level inter-regional communication. At present, major effort is directed toward using these methods to further understand how HIV-infection affects the brain's neocortical areas, and to discern whether HIV treatments (e.g., combined antiretroviral therapy) modulate or reverse these neocortical changes. It is well known that HIV crosses the blood-brain-barrier, but its ultimate impact on neurons and cognitive function in HIV patients who are receiving treatment is not understood.
A second line of work investigates the neural pathophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A primary goal of this work is to understand how traditional (e.g., amphetamines) and non-traditional (e.g., atomoxetine) medications modulate cortical functioning to achieve symptom suppression in patients with ADHD, and to illuminate how these drug-related neuronal effects change as young patients enter adulthood. An underlying premise of this work is that by understanding the mechanisms of efficacious treatments, one can extract key insights on the basic pathophysiology of ADHD and its symptomatology.
Another line of work in Dr. Wilson's Laboratory evaluates the impact that dopaminergic treatments have on cortical function and cortical-subcortical oscillatory activity in patients with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease. Currently, it is widely recognized that Parkinson’s is associated with pathological levels of cortical-subcortical synchronization. Work in the Laboratory focuses on how such neuronal synchronization is affected by dopamine-based treatments and disease progression.
Wilson TW, Wetzel MW, White ML, & Knott, NL. (in press). Gamma-frequency neuronal activity is diminished in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A pharmaco-MEG study. Journal of Psychopharmacology.
Wilson TW, Franzen JD, Heinrichs-Graham B, White ML, Knott NL, & Wetzel MW. (in press). Broadband neurophysiological abnormalities in the medial prefrontal region of the default-mode network in adults with ADHD. Human Brain Mapping.
Kurz MJ, Wilson TW, & Arpin D. (2012). Stride-time variability and sensorimotor cortical activation during walking. NeuroImage, 59:1602-1607.
Wilson TW, Slason E, Asherin RM, Teale PD, Reite ML, Kronberg E, & Rojas DC. (2011). Abnormal gamma and beta activity during finger movements in early-onset psychosis. Developmental Neuropsychology, 36:596-613.
Kurz MJ, & Wilson TW. (2011). Neuromagnetic activity in the somatosensory cortices of children with cerebral palsy. Neuroscience Letters, 490:1-5.
Wilson TW, Fleischer A, Archer D, Hayasaka S, & Sawaki L. (2011). Oscillatory MEG motor activity reflects therapy-related plasticity in stroke patients. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 25:188-193.
Wilson TW, Slason E, Asherin RM, Kronberg E, Reite ML, Teale PD, & Rojas DC. (2010). An extended motor network generates beta and gamma oscillatory perturbations during development. Brain & Cognition, 73:75-84.
Wilson TW, Godwin DW, Czoty PW, Nader MA, Kraft RA, Buchheimer NC, & Daunais JB. (2009). An MEG investigation of somatosensory processing in the rhesus monkey. NeuroImage, 46:998-1003.
Wilson TW, Slason E, Hernandez OO, Asherin RM, Reite ML, Teale PD, & Rojas DC. (2009). Aberrant high-frequency desynchronization of cerebellar cortices in early-onset psychosis. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 174:47-56.
Wilson TW, Hernandez OO, Asherin RM, Teale PD, Reite ML, & Rojas DC. (2008).Cortical gamma generators suggest abnormal auditory circuitry in early-onset psychosis. Cerebral Cortex, 18:371-378. |
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