B.Sc. Honors Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 2004-2008
PhD Candidate in Neuroscience
stravis@ualberta.ca
My fascination with the brain began 10 years ago, with my successful application to the Alberta Heritage Fund for Medical Research (AHFMR) Heritage Youth Summer Research (HYRS) program. I was in grade 11, and hooked from an early age. I was placed in Dr. Ian Whishaw's lab at the University of Lethbridge, and examined Parkinson's Disease models in Long Evans rats using the single pellet reaching task.
Subsequently, I enrolled in the neuroscience undergraduate program at the U of L, and completed an honours thesis under Dr. Whishaw in 2008. I investigated the role of the rat hippocampus in memory for preferred spatial locations in an open field.
I soon had a desire to expand my knowledge about how the hippocampus processes episodic memory, and I found human neuroimaging may have the answers complimentary to my earlier animal work. I began my Master's Degree at the U of A under Dr. Nikolai Malykhin, beginning a project which investigates hippocampal subfields and related white matter changes in aging. Due to the scope of the project, I decided to transfer to the PhD program after my first year of Masters' work. In addition to structural and diffusion tensor imaging techniques, I have learned to administer a wide array of cognitive assessments. I have completed my coursework and candidacy exam. I was fortunate to be awarded the CIHR Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarship during my first year of studies, and since September 2012, I am supported by the Alberta Innovates Health Solutions - Graduate Studentship award.
My current work involves a large-sample cross-sectional study with a longitudinal follow-up in healthy adults of all ages. We are combining structural magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging with validated, standardized neuropsychological assessments to assess changes in cognition and brain structure with age. These changes are occurring in normal adults screened for mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Hopefully examining this neurocognitive aging outside of clinical dementia will help us characterize preclinical and prodromal biomarkers in the brain throughout the lifespan which will allow for earlier detection of significant cognitive decline. With the increasing mean age of Canadians, we will have need to search for innovations to lessen the burden on public health, as well as on familial supports.
Major Research Awards/Stipends
Alberta Innovates Health Solutions - Graduate Studentship Award (PhD level)
September 2012 to Present
Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships Master's Award
September 2011 to September 2012
University of Alberta - Walter H Johns Graduate Fellowship
September 2011 to September 2012
Peer-reviewed Publications
1. Travis, S.G., Coupland, N.J., Silverstone, P.H., Huang, Y., Fujiwara, E., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N.V. (2014). Dentate gyrus volume and memory performance in major depressive disorder. Journal of Affective Disorders, 172, 159-64.
2. Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Fujiwara, E., Radomski, A., Olsen F., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N.V. (2014). High field MRI reveals specific episodic memory correlates in the subfields in the hippocampus. Neuropsychologia, 53, 233-45.
3. Sacrey, L.A., Travis, S.G., Whishaw, I.Q. (2011). Drug treatment and familiar music aids an attention shift from vision to somatosensation in Parkinson's disease on the reach-to-eat task. Behavioural Brain Research, 217, 391-8.
4. Whishaw, I.Q., Sacrey, L.A., Travis, S.G., Gholamrezaei, G., Karl, J.M. (2010). The functional origins or speech-related hand gestures. Behavioural Brain Research, 214, 206-15.
5. Whishaw, I.Q., Travis, S.G., Koppe, S.W., Sacrey, L.A., Gholamrezaei, G., Gorny, B. (2010). Hand shaping in the rat: conserved release and collection vs. flexible manipulation in overground walking, ladder rung walking, cylinder exploration, and skilled reaching. Behavioural Brain Research, 206, 21-31.
6. Travis, S.G., Sparks, F.T., Arnold, T., Lehmann, H., Sutherland, R.J., Whishaw, I.Q. (2010). Hippocampal damage produces retrograde but not anterograde amnesia for a cued location in a spontaneous exploratory task in rats. Hippocampus, 20, 1095-104.
Recently Attended Conference Abstracts
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Olsen, F., Carter, R., Fujiwara, E., Seres, P., Malykhin, N.V. (2014). Relationship of hippocampal subfields and memory performance with age. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, 2014, Washington, D.C., USA. November 15-19th, 2014.
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Hegadoren, K., Coupland, N., Silverstone, P., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N.V. (2014). High field MRI reveals the relationship between hippocampal subfield volumes, cortisol, and memory in healthy participants. Neuroscience Research Day, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. March 10th, 2014.
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Olsen, F., Carter, R., Fujiwara, E., Seres, P., Malykhin, N.V. (2013). High field structural MRI reveals specific episodic memory correlates with volumes of hippocampal subfields. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, 2013, San Diego, CA, USA. November 9-13th, 2014.
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Coupland, N., Hegadoren, K., Radomski, A., Fujiwara, E., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N. (2012). High field magnetic resonance imaging of hippocampal subfield volumes in healthy subjects. 3rd Annual Graduate Research Symposium, Faculty of Engineering, University of Alberta, June 21st, 2012.
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Coupland, N., Hegadoren, K., Radomski, A., Fujiwara, E., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N. (2012). Relationship between cortisol level, memory performance and hippocampal subfiled volumes in healthy subjects and in patients with major depressive disorder. University of Alberta Psychiatry Research Day, June 25th, 2012.
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Coupland, N., Hegadoren, K., Radomski, A., Fujiwara, E., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N. (2012). Memory performance and hippocampal subfield volumes in healthy subjects and in patients with major depressive disorder. Annual Meeting of Canadian Association of Neuroscience (CAN-ACN 2012). May 20-23, 2012, Vancouver, Canada.
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Coupland, N., Hegadoren, K., Radomski, A., Fujiwara, E., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N. (2012). Relationship between cortisol level, memory performance and hippocampal subfiled volumes in healthy subjects and in patients with major depressive disorder. 35th Annual Meeting of the Canadian College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CCNP), May 23-26, Vancouver, BC, Canada, (CIHR MOP 111049).
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Radomski, A., Fujiwara, E., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N.V. (2012). High field MRI reveals specific episodic memory correlates in the subfields of the hippocampus. 8th Federation of European Neurosciences Forum of Neuroscience. Barcelona, 2012.
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Radomski, A., Fujiwara, E., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N.V. (2012). High field MRI reveals specific episodic memory correlates in the subfields of the hippocampus. Organization of Human Brain Mapping Annual Meeting, Beijing, China, 2012.
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Radomski, A., Fujiwara, E., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N.V. (2011). High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Hippocampal Subfields and Memory Performance. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting 2011, Washington, D.C., USA. November 11-16th, 2011.
Travis, S.G., Huang, Y., Radomski, A., Fujiwara, E., Carter, R., Seres, P., Malykhin, N.V. (2011). High Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Hippocampal Subfields and Memory Performance. Psychiatry Research Day, 2011, University of Alberta, Canada. May 23, 2011.
