Brandon is a local Iowan who moved to Iowa City for his undergraduate degree. While he was obtaining his undergraduate degree from University of Iowa, he began his career in research. He has pioneered the development of facial mouse grimace assay, which is currently being automated. He has as made numerous contributions within migraine research in Andrew Russo's lab and now the Sower's lab as lab manager.

Publications

Rea, B. J., Davison, A., Ketcha, M. J., Smith, K. J., Fairbanks, A. M., Wattiez, A. S., Poolman, P., Kardon, R. H., Russo, A. F., & Sowers, L. P. (2022). Automated detection of squint as a sensitive assay of sex-dependent calcitonin gene-related peptide and amylin-induced pain in mice. Pain, 163(8), 1511–1519. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002537

Rea, B. J., Wattiez, A. S., Waite, J. S., Castonguay, W. C., Schmidt, C. M., Fairbanks, A. M., Robertson, B. R., Brown, C. J., Mason, B. N., Moldovan-Loomis, M. C., Garcia-Martinez, L. F., Poolman, P., Ledolter, J., Kardon, R. H., Sowers, L. P., & Russo, A. F. (2018). Peripherally administered calcitonin gene-related peptide induces spontaneous pain in mice: implications for migraine. Pain, 159(11), 2306–2317. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001337

McCutcheon, N., Johnson, M. S., Rea, B., Ghumman, M., Sowers, L., & Hultman, R. (2024). An Automated Squint Method for Time-syncing Behavior and Brain Dynamics in Mouse Pain Studies. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, (213), 10.3791/67136. https://doi.org/10.3791/67136

Wang, M., Duong, T. L., Rea, B. J., Waite, J. S., Huebner, M. W., Flinn, H. C., Russo, A. F., & Sowers, L. P. (2022). CGRP Administration Into the Cerebellum Evokes Light Aversion, Tactile Hypersensitivity, and Nociceptive Squint in Mice. Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland), 3, 861598. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2022.861598

Wang, M., Mason, B. N., Sowers, L. P., Kuburas, A., Rea, B. J., & Russo, A. F. (2021). Investigating Migraine-Like Behavior Using Light Aversion in Mice. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, (174), 10.3791/62839. https://doi.org/10.3791/62839

Ghanizada, H., Al-Karagholi, M. A., Walker, C. S., Arngrim, N., Rees, T., Petersen, J., Siow, A., Mørch-Rasmussen, M., Tan, S., O'Carroll, S. J., Harris, P., Skovgaard, L. T., Jørgensen, N. R., Brimble, M., Waite, J. S., Rea, B. J., Sowers, L. P., Russo, A. F., Hay, D. L., & Ashina, M. (2021). Amylin Analog Pramlintide Induces Migraine-like Attacks in Patients. Annals of neurology, 89(6), 1157–1171. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.26072

Wattiez, A. S., Castonguay, W. C., Gaul, O. J., Waite, J. S., Schmidt, C. M., Reis, A. S., Rea, B. J., Sowers, L. P., Cintrón-Pérez, C. J., Vázquez-Rosa, E., Pieper, A. A., & Russo, A. F. (2021). Different forms of traumatic brain injuries cause different tactile hypersensitivity profiles. Pain, 162(4), 1163–1175. https://doi.org/10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002103

Sowers, L. P., Wang, M., Rea, B. J., Taugher, R. J., Kuburas, A., Kim, Y., Wemmie, J. A., Walker, C. S., Hay, D. L., & Russo, A. F. (2020). Stimulation of Posterior Thalamic Nuclei Induces Photophobic Behavior in Mice. Headache, 60(9), 1961–1981. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13917

Kaiser, E. A., Rea, B. J., Kuburas, A., Kovacevich, B. R., Garcia-Martinez, L. F., Recober, A., & Russo, A. F. (2017). Anti-CGRP antibodies block CGRP-induced diarrhea in mice. Neuropeptides, 64, 95–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.npep.2016.11.004