Virginia Commonwealth University · NeuroscienceKnapp Lab
Pamela E Knapp · Richmond, Virginia
Research Focus
Dr. Pamela E. Knapp's lab focuses on the effects of abnormal Tau protein on brain health, specifically regarding cognitive dysfunction in individuals with HIV and opioid use disorder. The lab uses animal models to investigate how Tau (specifically its phosphorylated form, pTau) contributes to neurological impairments. The research aims to uncover if targeting pTau can improve cognitive outcomes for these populations by examining neuronal function and behavior over time.
pTauHIVopioid use disorderneurocognitive dysfunctionanimal models
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate the causal relationship between pTau and cognitive dysfunction in HIV and opioid use disorder.
AIM 02Evaluate the effects of pTau modulation on neuronal function in animal models.
AIM 03Conduct longitudinal studies correlating neuronal activity with cognitive performance in mice over 12 weeks.
AIM 04Assess the impact of an anti-pTau drug on cognitive outcomes in transgenic models of HAND and OUD.
Skills the Lab Values
patch-clamp physiologyin vivo imaginganimal behavior testingtransgenic mouse modelsbiochemical assays
Output against the department
Publications142bottom 49% of dept.340th of 671
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations6.1kbottom 42% of dept.386th of 671
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.