James Grau, PhD

Areas of Interest:

• Spinal cord plasticity & learning

• How pain inputs affects tissue & recovery after spinal cord injury

• Treatments to reduce secondary injury 

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Publications: 

66 on SCI (out of 103) peer-reviewed papers in the area of SCI (h-index: 38)

Recent publications:

Turtle, J. D., Strain, M. M., Aceves, M., Huang, Y.-J., Reynolds, J. A., Hook, M. A., & Grau, J. W. (2017). Pain input impairs recovery after spinal cord injury: Treatment with lidocaine. Journal of Neurotrauma, 34, 1200-1208.

Grau, J. W., Huang, Y.-J., Turtle, J. D., Strain, M. M., Miranda, R. M., Garraway, S. M., & Hook, M. A. (2017). When pain hurts: Nociceptive stimulation induces a state of maladaptive plasticity and impairs recovery after spinal cord injury. Journal of Neurotrauma, 34, 1873-1890.

Support:

Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, “How and when does peripheral input affect recovery after SCI?”, Spinal Cord Injury Research on the Translational Spectrum (SCIRTS) Award, 12/31/14-12/30/17, $553,435.

NINDS, “Effect of inflammation on recovery and pain after spinal cord injury”, 2/1/16- 1/31/18, $402,205.

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SCIRP Investigator-Initiated Research Award (DOD), Nociceptive (Pain) Input After Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Enhances Secondary Injury: Identifying Treatments That Can Be Translated to Clinical Practice. 9/30/18-9/29/21; $719,147. 

NINDS R01 NS104422 (7th percentile, pending Council review), Nociceptive input after spinal cord injury (SCI) expands the region of secondary injury and undermines long-term recovery, 7/1/18-6/30/23, $1,633,288.

Past support in area of SCI as PI (since 1992): $5,550,000; as coPI: $3,040,000

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Trainees in SCI:

Robin L. Joynes (Ph.D. 1998; current: assoc. prof. Kent State)


Eric Crown (Ph.D. 2002; asst. dir. global medical publishing AbbVie)

Adam Ferguson (Ph.D. 2003; current: asst. prof. UCSF)


Michelle Hook (post doc 2002-2005; current: asst. prof. TAMHS)

Stephanie Washburn (Ph.D. 2007; current: dir. clinical research InThera Medical) 

Russell Huie (Ph.D. 2010; current: post doc UCSF)


Kyle Baumbauer (post doc 2005-2011; current: asst. prof. U. Conn.)


Denise Puga (Ph.D. 2011; current: program coordinator TAMU-VPR)


Kevin Hoy (Ph.D. 2011; current: post doc CWRU/Metrohealth Med. Ctr. )


Milly Lee (Ph.D. 2013; current: post doc U. Texas at Austin)


Sandra Garraway (post doc 2008-2013; current: asst. prof. U. Emory)


Kie Huang (Ph.D. 2015; current: post doc TAMU)


Joel Turtle (Ph.D. 2016; current: completing M.D. component of his degree) 

Misty Strain (Ph.D. 2017; current: )

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Other:

Neilsen Foundation Review Panel (2017-2022; SCI Res.on the Translational Spectrum)