Migraine headache is one of the most debilitating disorders in the world and treatments are insufficient. The Sowers laboratory studies the neurocircuitry underlying migraine and post-traumatic headache. Our preclinical laboratory focuses heavily on the sensory abnormalities associated with migraine and post-traumatic headache, including photophobia, spontaneous pain and touch hypersensitivity. Our lab’s research uses functional MRI, optogenetic and DREADD approaches to better understand the circuits contributing to those sensory abnormalities. We recently identified the deep cerebellar nuclei as possible sensory integration centers underlying sensory abnormalities in migraine. We are a VA associated lab and part of the VA Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Visual Loss with a special emphasis on Veteran related problems in headache. Post-traumatic headache is similar to migraine and affects about 50% of Veterans who saw combat in war zones. Our hope is to one day identify brain regions that can be manipulated in humans to treat headache. Our promotion of a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach to tackle these important questions in headache medicine offers trainees room to grow and become wonderful independent scientists.
Dr. Sowers and colleagues Dr. Russo and Dr. Hultman were highlighted in Medicine Iowa for their combined specialties in migraine research using a precision approach to connect individual patients with treatments. Read the article here: https://medicineiowa.org/spring-2026/headache-resilience
Dr. Sowers was featured in Medicine Iowa, a publication of University of Iowa Healthcare featuring stories of research and education at Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. View the article here: https://medicineiowa.org/fall-2025/levi-sowers-shedding-light-migraine-and-post-traumatic-headache
Iowa Neuroscience Institute Events
Neuroscience and Pharmacology Seminar - J. Nicholas Betley, PhD
It is all in your head: Brain-Body interactions and the beneficial adaptations from exercise
J. Nicholas Betley, PhD
Professor
Department of Biology
University of Pennsylvania
Carver College of Medicine Events
REDCap Surveys Training
This is the third step in the REDCap training series. In this training, we will cover survey configuration and distribution such as:
Allowing potential participants to self-initiate participation in your study with public surveys
Manually and automatically sending surveys
Administering electronic consent (e-consent) forms
Controlling survey access with conditional logic and survey login
This training is a demo and not hands-on. After this training you will have a basic understanding of surveys in...
Molecular Medicine Interdisciplinary Program Thesis Defense Seminar: Jianyu Yu
Jianyu Yu is a PhD candidate in the Biomedical Science (Molecular Medicine) Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. His research has been conducted in Bing Li's laboratory.
If you are not able to attend in person, please consider showing your support by attending via Zoom. Please email [email protected] for the Zoom link.
REDCap Advanced Training
This is the fourth step in the REDCap training series. In this training we will cover advanced features such as:
Importing data from a CSV file
Ways to customize your data entry experience with form display logic
Making your forms more dynamic and personalized with context aware smart variables
Sending automated, conditional email alerts
Ensuring data is high quality by executing data quality rules, creating data 'missingness' codes, and opening data queries
Register by clicking the virtual event link...
Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Program Thesis Defense Seminar: Angela Smith
Angela Smith is a PhD candidate in the Neuroscience Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. Her research has been conducted in both Kathleen Sluka's and Stephanie Gantz's laboratories.
If you are unable to attend in person, please consider showing your support and attending via Zoom. Please email [email protected] for the zoom link.
BMB Research Workshop
The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology holds research workshops featuring internal speakers on Tuesdays, 12:30-1:20pm. For Fall 2026, these will occur in 1117 MERF. Presentation titles are not publicly available due to the use of unpublished research. Individuals interested in attending workshops or being added to the email list should contact the office at [email protected].
Aug. 25: CANCELED
Sept. 1: CANCELED
Sept. 8: RESERVED
Sept. 15: Steve Guzman, PhD, Postdoc Fellow, Biomedical...