WMCWeill Medical College of Cornell University · Biomedical Engineering
Brain Injury Recovery Lab
Tracy A. Butler · New York, New York
Research Focus
Dr. Tracy A. Butler's lab focuses on understanding how the brain clears toxins after traumatic brain injuries (TBI), which can lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. By using advanced imaging techniques soon after injury, the lab investigates the dynamics of harmful proteins that accumulate in the brain and how they correlate with recovery. Ultimately, their goal is to improve recovery from TBI and reduce the risk of future illnesses.
traumatic brain injuryAlzheimer's diseaseneuroimagingprotein dynamicsbrain clearanceglymphatic systemneurodegenerationPET imagingMRIbiomarkers
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate brain fluid clearance after traumatic brain injury using neuroimaging techniques.
AIM 02Measure the relationship between amyloid deposition and recovery outcomes in TBI patients.
AIM 03Establish how brain clearance impacts the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease following TBI.
AIM 04Utilize a multimodal approach to assess brain fluid dynamics in a human population after injury.
AIM 05Provide insights that may inform therapeutic strategies to enhance recovery from TBI.
Skills the Lab Values
neuroimagingPositron Emission Tomography (PET)Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)cerebrospinal fluid analysiscognitive assessmentblood biomarker analysislongitudinal study designdata integration methodsbiostatisticsresearch methodology
Output against the department
Publications161bottom 36% of dept.381st of 595
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations5.4kbottom 41% of dept.351st of 595
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.