Eileen Foecking, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Otolaryngology
Hobbies: Gardening, Photography, Travel
Research Interests
Research in the Foecking laboratory focuses on the underlying mechanism of neural injury from trauma and disease. Our lab focuses on the development of therapeutic and surgical strategies to enhance regeneration and repair. Specific areas of interest can be broken down into the following research areas: Elucidating the underlying mechanisms of repetitive mild traumatic brain injury- associated persistent behavioral deficits. Our lab has developed a closed-head repetitive mild traumatic brain injury model with persistent behavioral deficits including vestibular, motor, cognitive, and anxiety-like behaviors. With this model, we have established underlying mechanisms that contribute to persisting behavioral deficits. We are developing therapies that can be administered after substantial delay to improve persisting behavioral deficits. Establishing the role of cellular senescence in trauma and disease. Our lab has identified a role of cellular senescence in the development of TBI-associated post-concussive symptoms and has demonstrated if these cells are pharmacologically cleared, behavioral deficits improve. Particularly, cellular senescence is observed to be increased in astrocytes. We are nanoparticle technology to target senescence astrocytes and further define their role following TBI. Identifying therapeutic and surgical strategies for peripheral nerve injury and repair. The Foecking laboratory has previously developed a universally applied combinatorial therapy of gonadal steroid and electrical stimulation to enhance functional recovery from clinically relevant peripheral nerve injury models including facial and recurrent laryngeal nerve injuries. Additionally, our lab utilized nerve grafts and neural conduits to repair and regenerate injured nerves.
Publications/Research Listings
Byram, SC; Lotesto, KM; Volyanyuk, M; Exline, JE; Foecking, EM. Long-term sensorimotor changes after a sciatic nerve block with bupivacaine and liposomal bupivacaine in a high-fat/low-dose streptozotocin rodent model of diabetes FRONTIERS IN ANESTHESIOLOGY ; 1422353
Leonetti, JP; Shukairy, MK; North, M; Foecking, EM; Burkman, L. A New Surgical Option for Patients with Unresolved Bell's Palsy Current neurology and neuroscience reports ;
Zilliox, MJ; Foecking, EM; Kuffel, GR; Conneely, M; Saban, KL; Herrold, AA; Kletzel, SL; Radke, JR; Walsh, E; Guernon, A; Pape, A; Ripley, DL; Patil, V; Pacheco, MS; Rosenow, JM; Bhaumik, R; Bhaumik, D; Pape, TLB An Initial miRNA Profile of Persons With Persisting Neurobehavioral Impairments and States of Disordered Consciousness After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury. The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation ; 38 4 267-277
Foecking, E; Segismundo, A; Lotesto, K; Westfall, E; Bolduan, A; Peter, T; Wallace, D; Kozlowski, DA; Stubbs, E; Marzo, S; Byram, S Testosterone Treatment Restores Vestibular Function by Enhancing Neuronal Survival in an Experimental Closed-Head Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Model. Behavioural brain research 2022-09-05 00:00:00.0; 433 113998
Charous, SJ; Hutz, MJ; Bialek, SE; Schumacher, JK; Foecking, EM Muscle-Nerve-Nerve Grafting Improves Facial Reanimation in Rats Following Facial Nerve Injury. Frontiers in neurology 2021-12-08 00:00:00.0; 12 723024
Herrold, AA; Kletzel, SL; Foecking, EM; Saban, KL; Przybycien-Szymanska, MM; Zilliox, M; Bhaumik, D; Lange, D; Radke, JR; Salinas, I; Bender Pape, TL miRNAs as Potential Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury: Pathway From Diagnosis to Neurorehabilitation. The Journal of head trauma rehabilitation ; 36 3 155-169
Byram, SC; Bialek, SE; Husak, VA; Balcarcel, D; Park, J; Dang, J; Foecking, EM Distinct neurotoxic effects of select local anesthetics on facial nerve injury and recovery. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience ; 38 2 173-183
Rao, VR; Lautz, JD; Kaja, S; Foecking, EM; Lukács, E; Stubbs, EB Mitochondrial-Targeted Antioxidants Attenuate TGF-ß2 Signaling in Human Trabecular Meshwork Cells. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 2019-08-01 00:00:00.0; 60 10 3613-3624
Foecking, EM; Burgess, BD; Fridrici, ZC; Bialek, SE; Low, C; Charous, SJ Effects of the Number of Muscle-Nerve-Muscle Grafts on Rat Facial Nerve Functional Recovery. The Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology ; 127 11 791-797
Charous, SJ; Hotaling, JM; Burgess, BD; Sappington, JM; Park, J; Turek, G; Foecking, EM; Muscle-Nerve-Muscle Grafting for Facial Reanimation in Rats Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology ; 126 4 261-267
Loochtan, MJ; Balcarcel, D; Carroll E; Foecking, EM; Thorpe, EJ; Charous, SJ. Vocal Fold Paralysis After Esophagectomy Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery ; 155 1 122-126
Ni, A; Yang, T; Mesnard-Hoaglin, NA; Stubbs, E; McGuire, SO; Sanders, VM; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM; Xin, J. Th17 Cell response in SOD1G93A Mice Following Motor Nerve Injury Mediators of inflammation ; 6131234
Monaco, GN; Brown, TJ; Burgette, RC; Fargo, KN; Akst, LM; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM Electrical Stimulation and Testosterone Enhance Recovery from Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries. Restorative Neurology & Neuroscience ; 33 4 571-578
Caballero, N; Welch, KC; Carpenter, PS; Mehrotra, S; O'Connell, TF; Foecking, EM Association Between Chronic Acetaminophen Exposure and Allergic Rhinitis in a Rat Model Allergy & rhinology (Providence, R.I.) ; 6 3 162-167
Foecking Em, Fargo KN, Brown TJ, Sengelaub D, Jones KJ Neural Regeneration ; 129-152
Amine, M; Foecking, EM; Marzo, SJ. Intracranial facial nerve crush injury and facial motor nuclei cell loss in rats Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery ; 151 3 443-446
O'Connell, TF; Carpenter, PS; Callabero, N; Putnam, AJ; Steere, JT; Matz, GJ; Foecking, EM; Increased thermal pain sensitivity in animals exposed to chronic high dose Vicodin but not pure hydrocodone Pain Physician ; 17 4 353-357
Brown, TJ; Pittman, AL; Monaco, GN; Benscoter, BJ; Mantravadi, AV; Akst, LM; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM. Androgen treatment and recovery of function following recurrent laryngeal nerve injury in the rat Restorative Neurology & Neuroscience ; 31 2 169-176
Burgette, RC; Benscoter, BJ; Monaco, GN; Kircher, ML; Mantravadi, AV; Marzo, SJ; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM. A rat model for intracranial facial nerve crush injuries Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery ; 146 2 326-330
Foecking, EM; Fargo, KN, Coughlin, LM, Kim, JT; Marzo, SJ; Jones, KJ Single session of brief electrical stimulation immediately following crush injury enhances functional recovery of rat facial nerve Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development ; 49 3 451-458
Sharma, N; Marzo, SJ; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM. Electrical stimulation and testosterone differentially enhance expression of regeneration-associated genes Experimental neurology ; 223 1 183-91
Sharma, N; Moeller, CW; Marzo, SJ; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM. Combinatorial treatments enhance recovery following facial nerve crush LARYNGOSCOPE ; 120 8 1523-1530
Marzo, SJ; Moeller, CW; Sharma, N; Cunningham, K; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM Facial motor nuclei cell loss with intratemporal facial nerve crush injuries in rats LARYNGOSCOPE ; 120 11 2264-2269
Fargo, KN; Foecking, EM; Jones, KJ; Sengelaub, DR. Neuroprotective actions of androgens on motoneurons Frontiers in neuroendocrinology ; 30 2 130-141
Sharma, N; Cunningham, K; Porter, RG; Marzo, SJ; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM. Comparison of extratemporal and intratemporal facial nerve injury models LARYNGOSCOPE ; 119 12 2324-2330
Sharma, N; Coughlin, L; Porter, RG; Tanzer, L; Wurster, RD; Marzo, SJ; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM. Effects of electrical stimulation and gonadal steroids on rat facial nerve regenerative properties Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience ; 27 6 633-644
Fargo, KN, Pak TR, Foecking EM, Jones KJ Hormones, Brains, and Behavior ; 2 1219-1244
Fargo, KN; Galbiati, M; Foecking, EM; Poletti, A; Jones, KJ. Androgen regulation of axon growth and neurite extension in motoneurons Hormones & Behavior ; 53 716-28
Demissie, M; Lazic, M; Foecking, EM; Aird, F; Dunaif, A; Levine, JE. Transient prenatal androgen exposure produces metabolic syndrome in adult female rats American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology & Metabolism ; 295 2 262-268
Hetzler, LET; Sharma, N; Tanzer, L; Wurster, RD; Leonetti, J; Marzo, SJ; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM. Accelerating functional recovery after rat facial nerve injury: Effects of gonadal steroids and electrical stimulation Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery ; 139 1 62-67
Lal, D; Hetzler, LT; Sharma, N; Wurster, RD; Marzo, SJ; Jones, KJ; Foecking, EM. Electrical stimulation facilitates rat facial nerve recovery from a crush injury Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery ; 139 1 68-73
Foecking, EM; Levine JE. Effects of experimental hyperandrogenemia on the female rat reproductive axis: suppression of progesterone-receptor messenger RNA expression in the brain and blockade of luteinizing hormone surges Gender Medicine ; 2 3 155-165