Thomas Hamm

Biography

Dr. Thomas Hamm is a professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Barrow Neurological Institute. His laboratory conducts a basic research on the function and organization of spinal neurons involved in the generation and control of movement and neural adaptations to spinal cord injury. The goals of this research program, which has been supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health and Barrow Neurological Foundation, are to identify the critical properties of spinal cord neurons and their contributions to coordinated movement. It is hoped that this knowledge will lead to the development of interventions to accelerate and enhance recovery from diseases and injuries of the brain and spinal cord. Dr. Hamm received a BS in mathematics and physics from the University of Memphis and a PhD in physiology from the University of Tennessee Center for Health Sciences in Memphis working with Dr. Lloyd D. Partridge. He subsequently worked with Dr. Douglas G. Stuart at the University of Arizona to investigate functions of the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system in the control of movement before taking a position at Barrow Neurological Institute in 1985.

Research Interest

Networks of spinal neurons, intrinsic properties of Motor neurons, synaptic inhibition