Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center 6 articles published in JoVE Behavior Standing Neurophysiological Assessment of Lower Extremity Muscles Post-Stroke John Harvey Kindred1,2, Christian Finetto3, Jasmine Jamilah Cash3, Mark Goodman Bowden1,2,3 1Department of Research and Development, Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Administration Medical Center, 2College of Health Professions, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Division of Physical Therapy, Medical University of South Carolina, 3College of Health Professions, Department of Health Sciences and Research, Medical University of South Carolina This protocol describes the process for performing a neurophysiological assessment of the lower extremity muscles, tibialis anterior and soleus, in a standing position using TMS in people post-stroke. This position provides a greater probability of eliciting a post-stroke TMS response and allows for the use of reduced stimulator power during neurophysiological assessments. Medicine Minimizing Post-Infusion Portal Vein Bleeding during Intrahepatic Islet Transplantation in Mice Wenyu Gou*1, Wanxing Cui*2, Yuki Cui2, Hongjun Wang1,3 1Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, 2Georgetown University, 3Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center Here we present refined surgical procedures on successfully performing intraportal islet transplantation, a clinically relevant but technically challenging surgical procedure, in mice. Medicine A Mouse Model for Chronic Pancreatitis via Bile Duct TNBS Infusion Wenyu Gou*1, Lindsay Swaby*1, A. Marissa Wolfe2, William P. Lancaster1,2, Katherine A. Morgan1, Hongjun Wang1,2 1Department of Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, 2Ralph H. Johnson Veterans Affairs Medical Center Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a disease characterized by inflammation and fibrosis of the pancreas, often associated with intractable abdominal pain. This article focuses on refining the technique to generate a mouse model of CP via bile duct infusion with 2,4,6 -trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). Bioengineering Encapsulated Cell Technology for the Delivery of Biologics to the Mouse Eye Marwa Belhaj1, Balasubramaniam Annamalai2, Nathaniel Parsons2, Andrew Shuler1, Jay Potts1, Bärbel Rohrer2,3,4 1Department of Cell Biology, University of South Carolina, 2Department of Ophthalmology, Division of Research, Medical University of South Carolina, 3Department of Neuroscience, Division of Research, Medical University of South Carolina, 4Division of Research, Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center Presented here is a protocol for the use of alginate as a polymer in microencapsulation of immortalized cells for long-term delivery of biologics to rodent eyes. Neuroscience Bilateral Assessment of the Corticospinal Pathways of the Ankle Muscles Using Navigated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Charalambos C. Charalambous1,2, Jing Nong Liang3,4, Steve A. Kautz2,5, Mark S. George5,6, Mark G. Bowden2,5,7 1Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, 2Department of Health Sciences and Research, Medical University of South Carolina, 3Department of Physical Therapy, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4Department of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina, 5Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, 6Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, 7Division of Physical Therapy, Medical University of South Carolina The present protocol describes the simultaneous, bilateral assessment of the corticomotor response of the tibialis anterior and soleus during rest and tonic voluntary activation using a single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation and neuronavigation system. Neuroscience Laboratory Administration of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation (taVNS): Technique, Targeting, and Considerations Bashar W. Badran*1,2,3, Alfred B. Yu*2, Devin Adair1, Georgia Mappin3, William H. DeVries3, Dorothea D. Jenkins4, Mark S. George3,5,6, Marom Bikson1 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, City College of New York, 2U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, 3Brain Stimulation Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, 4Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, 5Department of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina, 6Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center A methodological description of the technique, potential targets, and proper administration of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on the human ear is described.