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Nicole L. Nichols, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences
Adjunct Professor, Department of Medical Pharmocology and Physiology
Member, Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program Member, Translational Biosciences Graduate Program Office Location: W145 Vet Med
Office Phone: 573-882-2534
NicholsN@missouri.edu

Research Interests

Breathing, Hypoxia, Plasticity, and Motor Neuron Death

Research Description

The primary focus of our laboratory concerns mechanisms of neuroplasticity, specifically in the respiratory motor control system in models of motor neuron death, including ALS.

Professional Background

2022-Present Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

2015-2022 Assistant professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO

2014-2015 Research Associate in Respiratory Neurobiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI

2008-2014 Post-doctoral Fellow in Respiratory Neurobiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 

2008 Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences with concentration in Neuroscience and Physiology, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH 

2003 B.S. in Life Science with concentration in Molecular Biology and Health Sciences with Distinction, Otterbein College, Westerville, OH 

Selected Publications

  1. Satriotomo, I., Nichols, N.L., Dale, E.A., Emery, A.T., Dahlberg, J. and Mitchell, G.S. Repetitive acute intermittent hypoxia increases growth/neurotrophic factor expression in non-respiratory motor neurons. In revision at Neuroscience.
  2. Nichols, N.L., Satriotomo, I., Harrigan, D.J. and Mitchell, G.S. (2015). Acute intermittent hypoxia induced phrenic long-term facilitation despite increased SOD1 expression in a rat model of ALS. Exper. Neurol. 273: 138-150.
  3. Nichols, N.L., Vinit, S., Bauernschmidt, L. and Mitchell, G.S. (2015). Respiratory function after selective respiratory motor neuron death from intrapleural CTB-saporin injections. Exper. Neurol. 267: 18-29.
  4. Nichols, N.L., Johnson, R.A., Satriotomo, I. and Mitchell, G.S. (2014). Neither serotonin nor adenosine-dependent mechanisms preserve ventilatory capacity in ALS rats. Respir. Physiol. Neurobiol. 197: 19-28.
  5. Nichols, N.L. and Sasser, J.M. (2014). The other side of the submit button: how to become a reviewer for scientific journals. Physiologist. 57(2): 88-91.
  6. Nichols, N.L., Powell, F.L., Dean, J.B. and R.W. Putnam. (2014). Substance P differentially modulates firing rate of solitary complex (SC) neurons from control and chronic hypoxia-adapted adult rats. PLoS ONE. 9(2): e88161.
  7. Nichols, N.L., Van Dyke, J., Suzuki, M. and Mitchell, G.S. (2013). Ventilatory control in ALS. Respir. Physiol. Neurobiol. 183(2): 429-437.
  8. Devinney, M.J., Huxtable, A.G., Nichols, N.L. and Mitchell, G.S. (2013). Hypoxia-induced phrenic long-term facilitation: emergent properties. Ann. N Y Acad. Sci. 1279(1): 143-153.
  9. Nichols, N.L., Gowing, G., Satriotomo, I., Nashold, L.J., Dale, E.A., Suzuki, M., Avalo, P., Mulcrone, P.L., McHugh, J., Svendsen, C.N. and Mitchell, G.S. (2013). Intermittent hypoxia and stem cell implants preserve breathing capacity in a rodent model of ALS. Am. J. Resp. Crit. Care Med. 187(5): 535-542.
  10. Nguyen, N.P., Lopez, S., Smith, C.L., Lever, T.E., Nichols, N.L., and Bunyak, F. Axon and Myelin Sheath Segmentation In Electron Microscopy Images Using Meta Learning. IEEE Appl. Imag. Pattern Recogni. Workshop. pp. 1-6, 2022. PMCID: PMC10197949.
  11. Murphy, E.R., Thompson, R., Osman, K.L., Haxton, C., Brothers, M., Lee, L., Warncke, K., Smith, C.L., Keilholz, A.N., Hamad, A., Golzy, M., Bunyak, F., Ma, L., Nichols, N.L.,* and Lever T.E.* A strength endurance exercise paradigm mitigates deficits in hypoglossal-tongue axis function, strength, and structure in a rodent model of hypoglossal motor neuron degeneration. Frontiers in Neuroscience doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.869592, 2022. PMCID: PMC9279620.
  12. Mueller, M., Thompson, R., Osman, K.L., Andel, E., DeJonge, C.A., Kington, S., Stephenson, Z., Hamad, A., Bunyak, F., Nichols, N.L., and Lever, T.E.* Impact of Limb Phenotype on Tongue Denervation Atrophy, Dysphagia Penetrance, and Survival Time in a Mouse Model of ALS. Dysphagia 37(6): 1777-1795, 2022. PMCID: PMC9568622.
  13. Borkowski, L.F., Keilholz, A.N., Smith, C.L., Canda, K.A., and Nichols, N.L.* Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (ketoprofen) delivery differentially impacts phrenic long-term facilitation in rats with motor neuron death induced by intrapleural CTB-SAP injections. Exper. Neurol. 347:113892, 2022. PMID: 34634309.
  14. Smith, C.E., Lorson, M.A., Hernandez-Ricardez, S.M., Al Rawi, Z., Mao, J., Marquez, J., Villalón, E., Keiholz, A.N., Smith, C.L., Garro-Kacher, M.O., Morcos, T., Davis, D.J, Bryda, E.C, Nichols, N.L., Lorson, C.L.* The Ighmbp2D564N mouse model is the first SMARD1 model to demonstrate respiratory defects. Hum. Mol. Genet. 31(8): 1293-1307, 2022. PMCID: PMC9029233.
  15. Borkowski, L.F., Smith, C.L., Keilholz, A.N., and Nichols, N.L.*. Divergent receptor utilization is necessary for phrenic long-term facilitation over the course of motor neuron loss following CTB-SAP intrapleural injections. J. Neurophysiol. 126(3): 709-722, 2021. PMCID: PMC8461823
  16. Allen, L.L., Nichols, N.L., Asa, Z.A., Emery, A.T., Ciesla, M.C., Santiago, J.V., Holland, A.E., Mitchell, G.S., and Gonzalez-Rothi, E.J. Phrenic motor neuron survival below cervical spinal cord hemisection. Exper. Neurol. 346:113832, 2021. PMCID: PMC9065093.
  17. Nichols, N.L.*. and Mitchell, G.S. Mechanisms of severe acute intermittent hypoxia induced phrenic long-term facilitation. J. Neurophysiol. 125(4): 1146-1156, 2021. PMCID: PMC8282229.
  18. Lind, L.A., Lever, T.E., and Nichols, N.L.* Tongue and hypoglossal morphology after intralingual CTB-saporin injection. Muscle & Nerve 63(3): 413-420, 2021. PMCID: PMC8117177.
  19. Borkowski, L.F. and Nichols, N.L.* Differential mechanisms are required for phrenic long-term facilitation over the course of motor neuron loss following CTB-SAP intrapleural injections. Exper. Neurol. 334:113460, 2020. PMID: 32916172.
  20. Borkowski, L,F., Craig, T.A., Stricklin, O.E., Johnson, K.A., and Nichols, N.L.* (2020). 5-HT2A/B receptor expression in the phrenic motor nucleus in a rat model of ALS (SOD1G93A). Respir. Physiol. Neurobiol. 279: 103471.
  21. Lind, L.A., Andel, E.M., McCall, A.L., Dhindsa, J.S., Johnson, K.A., Stricklin, O.E., Mueller, C., ElMallah, M.K., Lever, T.E., and Nichols, N.L.* (2020). Intralingual administration of AAVrh10-miRSOD1 improves respiratory but not swallowing function in a SOD1 mouse model of ALS. Human Gene Therapy 31(15-16): 828-838.
  22. Kloepper, A., Arnold, J., Ruffolo, A., Kinealy, B., Haxton, C., Nichols, N., Takahashi, K., and Lever, T.E. (2020). An experimental swallow evoked potential protocol to investigate the neural substrates of swallowing. OTO-Open 4(1): 1-5.
  23. Litvin, D.G., Denstaedt, S.J., Borkowski, L.F, Nichols, N.L., Dick, T.E., Smith, C.B., and Jacono, F.J. (2020). Peripheral-to-central immune communication at the area postrema glial-barrier following bleomycin-induced sterile lung injury in adult rats. Brain, Behavior and Immunity 87: 610-633.
  24. Haney, M., Hamad, A., Woldu, H., Ciucci, M., Nichols, N., Bunyak, F., and Lever, T. (2020). Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Transection in Mice Results in Translational Upper Airway Dysfunction. J. Comp. Neurol. 528(4): 574-596.
  25. Osman, K.L., Kohlberg, S., Mok, A., Brooks, R., Lind, L.A., McCormack, K., Ferreira, A., Kadosh, M., Fagan, M.K., Bearce, E., Nichols, N.L., Coates, J.R., and Lever, T.E. (2020). Optimizing the translational value of mouse models of ALS for dysphagia therapeutic discovery. Dysphagia 35(2): 343-359.
  26. Lind, L.A., Murphy, E.R., Lever, T.E., and Nichols, N.L.* (2018). Hypoglossal motor neuron death via intralingual CTB-saporin (CTB-SAP) injections mimic aspects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) related to dysphagia. Neuroscience 390: 303-316.
  27. Agosto-Marlin, I.M., Nichols, N.L. and Mitchell, G.S. (2018). Systemic inflammation inhibits serotonin receptor 2-induced phrenic motor facilitation upstream from BDNF/TrkB signaling. J. Neurophysiol. 119(6): 2176-2185.
  28. Seven, Y.B., Nichols, N.L., Kelly, M.N., Hobson, O.R., Satriotomo, I. and Mitchell, G.S. (2018). Compensatory plasticity in diaphragm and intercostal muscle utilization in a rat model of ALS. Exper. Neurol. 299(Pt A): 148-156.
  29. Nichols, N.L.,* Craig, T.A., and Tanner M.A. (2018). Phrenic long-term facilitation following intrapleural CTB-SAP-induced respiratory motor neuron death. Respir. Physiol. Neurobiol. 256: 43-49.
  30. Nichols, N.L.,* Satriotomo, I., Allen, L.L., Grebe, A.M. and Mitchell, G.S. (2017). Mechanisms of enhanced phrenic long-term facilitation in SOD1G93A J. Neurosci. 37(24): 5834-5845.
  31. Nichols, N.L., Ilatovskaya, D.V. and Matyas, M.L. (2017). Monitoring undergraduate student needs and activities at Experimental Biology: APS pilot survey. Adv. Physiol. Educ. 41(2): 186-193.
  32. Agosto-Marlin, I.M., Nichols, N.L. and Mitchell, G.S. (2017). Adenosine-dependent phrenic motor facilitation is inflammation resistant. J. Neurophysiol. 117(2): 836-845.
  33. Devinney, M.J., Nichols, N.L. and Mitchell, G.S. (2016). Sustained hypoxia elicits competing spinal mechanisms of phrenic motor facilitation. J. Neurosci. 36(30): 7877-7885.
  34. Nichols, N.L.* and Mitchell, G.S. (2016). Quantitative assessment of integrated phrenic nerve activity. Respir. Physiol. Neurobiol. 226: 81-86.

Published by Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, 134 Research Park Dr., Columbia, MO 65211
Phone: 573-882-7588 Email: mailto:dalton@missouri.edu