POSITION
Post-Doctoral Fellow
CREDENTIALS
BSc (Neuroscience – University of Lethbridge),
MSc (Research Methods in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience – Swansea University),
PhD (Psychology – University of Calgary)
MY RESEARCH INTERESTS
Keywords: Mild traumatic brain injury, Adolescence, Sex differences, Microglia, Synaptic pruning
The mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) field is steeped in a cloud of confusion. What factors are associated with individuals experiencing more symptomologies than others? Why are some individuals seemingly more susceptible to injury than others? The core of my research interests involves understanding the heterogeneity associated with mTBI. One potential source of this heterogeneity involves the brains resident immune cell, microglia. While being critical responders following injury, microglia are also actively involved in brain maturation especially during critical developmental periods (i.e. adolescence). I am interested in determining the influence of adolescent mTBI on the homeostatic functioning of microglia and investigating the potential long-term outcomes. Additionally, the majority of previous mTBI research had focused on adult males, but it is becoming ever clearer that understanding the pathophysiology of underrepresented groups (females and adolescents) may help us fully appreciate the sequelae of mTBI.
PUBLICATIONS
Google Scholar Profile: https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=WF16cCIAAAAJ&hl=en
Eyolfson, E., Bhatt, D., Wang, M., Lohman, A. W., & Mychasiuk, R. (2021). Paternal exposure to exercise and/or caffeine and alcohol modify offspring behavioral and pathophysiological recovery from repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in adolescence. Genes, Brain and Behavior, 20(6). PMID: 33876557.
Christensen, J., Eyolfson, E., Salberg, S., & Mychasiuk, R. (2021). Traumatic brain injury in adolescence: A review of the neurobiological and behavioural underpinnings and outcomes. Developmental Review, 59, 100943. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2020.100943.
Eyolfson, E., Carr, T., Khan, A., Wright, D. K., Mychasiuk, R., & Lohman, A. W. (2020). Repetitive mild traumatic brain injuries in mice during adolescence cause sexually dimorphic behavioral deficits and neuroinflammatory dynamics. Journal of Neurotrauma, 37(24), 2718- 2732. PMID: 32772786.
Eyolfson, E., Khan, A., Mychasiuk, R., & Lohman, A. W. (2020). Microglia dynamics in adolescent traumatic brain injury. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 17(1), 1-19. PMID: 33121516.
Eyolfson, E., Yamakawa, G. R., Griep, Y., Collins, R., Carr, T., Wang, M., … & Mychasiuk, R. (2020). Examining the progressive behavior and neuropathological outcomes associated with chronic repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in rats. Cerebral Cortex Communications, 1(1). PMID: 34296084.
Eyolfson, E., Malik, H., & Mychasiuk, R. (2020). Sexually dimorphic behavioral and genetic outcomes associated with administration of TA65 (a telomerase activator) following repetitive traumatic brain injury: a pilot study. Frontiers in Neurology, 11, 98. PMID: 32132968.
Christensen, J., Eyolfson, E., Salberg, S., Bhatt, D., Weerawardhena, H., Tabor, J., & Mychasiuk, R. (2020). When two wrongs make a right: the effect of acute and chronic binge drinking on traumatic brain injury outcomes in young adult female rats. Journal of Neurotrauma, 37(2), 273-285. PMID: 31418318.
Yamakawa, G. R., Eyolfson, E., Weerawardhena, H., & Mychasiuk, R. (2020). Administration of diphenyl diselenide (PhSe) 2 following repetitive mild traumatic brain injury exacerbates anxiety-like symptomology in a rat model. Behavioural Brain Research, 382, 112472. PMID: 31926213.
Yamakawa, G. R., Weerawardhena, H., Eyolfson, E., Griep, Y., Antle, M. C., & Mychasiuk, R. (2019). Investigating the role of the hypothalamus in outcomes to repetitive mild traumatic brain injury: neonatal monosodium glutamate does not exacerbate deficits. Neuroscience, 413, 264- 278. PMID: 31254543
Xia, W., Eyolfson, E., Lloyd, K., Vervliet, B., & Dymond, S. (2019). Living in fear: Low-cost avoidance maintains low-level threat. Journal of behavior therapy and experimental psychiatry, 62, 57-64. PMID: 30219564.
CONTACT
Email: eeyolfson@uvic.ca
OTHER
A fun fact about me: I am mildly obsessed with sports. My lifelong goal is to go to every single Major League ballpark.
My hobbies include: Playing and watching sports including hockey, baseball, football, pickleball, and golf. Taking care of my pets Jimmy, Mildred, and Cougar.