Engineer Lab

The Engineer lab is dedicated to understanding and improving the speech processing impairments observed in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism. Our team is developing potential adjunctive interventions that can increase the neural and behavioral benefits of speech rehabilitation therapies.
News

2025 Rett Syndrome Scientific Meeting
We learned so much at the International Rett Syndrome Foundation Scientific Meeting in Boston!
Speech paired vagus nerve stimulation restores neural sound processing in a rat model of autism
Grad student Brendan Williams published his first first-author paper! His work explores how sound-paired vagus nerve stimulation can restore neural sound processing in a rat model of ASD. This innovative research holds promise for advancing our understanding of neural plasticity and communication therapies. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2025.1600024/full
Early neural dysfunction reflected in degraded auditory cortex responses in pre-regression heterozygous Mecp2 rats
Former lab grad student Dr. Yuko Tamaoki’s most recent paper examines the neural and behavioral processing of sounds prior to regression onset in a rodent model of Rett syndrome. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996125001421?via%3Dihub