CHARLab students conduct data collection for a research study.
See below for a selection of our CHARLab publications. For a complete list of publications, visit the NIH website.
- Acute hyperoxia elicits decreases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity and action potential activation in a sex-dependent manner.
- Lead author: Jinan Saboune (CHARLab PhD Candidate)
- Link to the Article
- Download PDF
- Citation: Saboune J*, Schwende BK*, Debray A*, Usselman CW, Davenport MH, Steinback CD. Acute hyperoxia elicits decreases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity and action potential activation in a sex-dependent manner. Auton Neurosci, Online ahead of print, 2025.
- Is cardiovascular disease risk in transgender, gender-diverse, and non-binary adults associated with autonomic imbalance? (Invited review)
- Lead author: Keila Turino Miranda (CHARLab PhD Student)
- Link to the Article
- Download PDF
- Citation: Turino Miranda K, Schwende BK, Duval A, Streed Jr. CG, Delage SI, Chokly K, Hodgins V, Usselman CW. Is cardiovascular disease risk in transgender, gender-diverse, and non-binary adults associated with autonomic imbalance? Auton Neurosci, Online ahead of print, 2025.
- The impact of androgens on neurovascular blood pressure control in polycystic ovary syndrome: recent advances and translational approaches. (Review)
- Lead authors: Zoe Adams (Postdoctoral Fellow, Cardiff-Metropolitan University) & Danielle Berbrier (CHARLab PhD Candidate)
- Link to the Article
- Download PDF
- Citation: Adams ZH, Berbrier DE, Schwende BK, Huckins W, Richards C, Rees A, Usselman CW, Lord RN. The impact of androgens on neurovascular blood pressure control in polycystic ovary syndrome: recent advances and translational approaches. J Physiol, 603(10): 2937-57, 2025.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome potentiates blood pressure and vascular responses to the cold pressor test
- Implementing the cold pressor test in cardiovascular research: does limb choice matter? (Invited editorial)
- Blood pressure responses to handgrip exercise are enhanced in women with a recent history of preeclampsia.
- Lead author: Danielle Berbrier (CHARLab PhD Candidate)
- Link to the Article
- Download PDF
- Citation: Berbrier DE, Adler TE, Leone CA, Paidas MJ, Stachenfeld NS, Usselman CW. Blood pressure responses to handgrip exercise are enhanced in women with a recent history of preeclampsia. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, 327(1): H140-54, 2024
- Guidelines on the use of sex and gender in cardiovascular research. (Invited review)
- Lead author: Charlotte Usselman (CHARLab Principal Investigator)
- Link to the Article
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- Citation: Usselman CW, Lindsey ML, Robinson AT, Habecker BA, Taylor CE, Merryman MD, Kimmerly D, Bender JR, Regensteiner JG, Moreau KL, Pilote L, Wenner MM, O’Brien M, Yarovinsky TO, Stachenfeld NS, Charkoudian N, Denfeld QE, Moreira-Bouchard JD, Pyke WG, DeLeon-Pennell KY. Guidelines on the use of sex and gender in cardiovascular research. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, 326(1): H238-55, 2024.
!!PODCAST ALERT!! This article was highlighted in the AJP-Heart and Circ Podcast episode 332, in which some of the authors (including Dr. Usselman, who led the guidelines team!) were interviewed about the process of putting together the journal’s first-ever sex and gender guidelines as well as the major take home messages of the guidelines. Link to the PODCAST
- Is polycystic ovary syndrome associated with elevated muscle sympathetic nerve activity? (Invited review)
- Lead author: Alicia Duval (CHARLab PhD Student & Clinical Psychology PhD Student in the Department of Psychology at McGill)
- Link to the Article
- Download PDF
- Citation: Duval A, Huckins W, Berbrier DE, Usselman CW. Is polycystic ovary syndrome associated with elevated muscle sympathetic nerve activity? Exp Physiol, 108(10): 1250-6, 2023.
- Limb-specific muscle sympathetic nerve activity responses to the cold pressor test.
- The effects of sex and menstrual cycle phase on sympathetic action potential recruitment patterns during hypercapnic-hypoxic apnea.
- Health-related physical fitness in women with polycystic ovary syndrome versus controls: a systematic review and meta-analysis
- Lead author: Domenica Cirone (CHARLab MSc Student)
- Link to the Article
- Download PDF
- Citation: Cirone D, Berbrier DE, Gibbs JC, Usselman CW. Health-related physical fitness in women with polycystic ovary syndrome versus controls: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Arch Gynecol Obstet 309(1): 17-36, 2024.
- Effects of androgen excess and body mass index on endothelial function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome
- Lead author: Danielle Berbrier (CHARLab MSc Student)
- Link to the Article
- Download PDF
- Citation: Berbrier DE, Leone CA, Adler TE, Bender JR, Taylor HS, Stachenfeld NS, Usselman CW. Effects of androgen excess and body mass index on endothelial function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome. J Appl Physiol 134: 868-78, 2023.
- Correlations between salivary- and blood-derived gonadal hormone assessments and implications for inclusion of female participants in research studies.
- Lead author: Seasy Huang (CHARLab MSc Student)
- Link to the Article
- Download PDF
- Citation: Huang T, Howse FM, Stachenfeld NS, Usselman CW. Correlations between salivary- and blood-derived gonadal hormone assessments and implications for inclusion of female participants in research studies. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 324(1): H33-46, 2023.
- Sex differences in sympathetic neurovascular and neurohemodynamic relationships during cold pressor test
- Lead author: Yasmine Coovadia (CHARLab PhD student)
- Link to the Article (access is free!)
- Download PDF
- Citation: Coovadia Y, Adler TE, Martin-Arrowsmith PW, Usselman CW. Sex differences in sympathetic neurovascular and neurohemodynamic relationships during cold pressor test. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 322(5): R411-20, 2022.
- Sex differences in dynamic blood pressure regulation: beat-by-beat responses to muscle sympathetic nerve activity
- Lead author: Seasy Huang (CHARLab MSc student)
- Link to the Article (access is free!)
- Download PDF
- Citation: Coovadia Y, Adler TE, Steinback CD, Fraser GM, Usselman CW. Sex differences in dynamic blood pressure regulation: beat-by-beat responses to muscle sympathetic nerve activity. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 319(3): H531-8, 2020
!!PODCAST ALERT!! The back story behind Yaz’s journey from data collection to publication of this paper was the focus of the first ever Untitled CHARLab Podcast! Ever wonder what it’s like to be a grad student in a brand new lab with malfunctioning equipment and a newly minted assistant professor as a supervisor?? Throw in an insatiable desire to understand the nature of sex differences in the regulation of blood pressure, and you’ve got Yasmine Coovadia’s MSc story!! Give this video podcast a watch to hear her story and to learn more about the etiology of the term “balls to the wall” and why grad students eat chicken nuggets but profs eat chicken tenders!
- Device-guided slow breathing reduces blood pressure and sympathetic activity in young normotensive individuals of both sexes
- Lead author: Tessa Adler (CHARLab MSc student)
- Link to the Article (access is free!)
- Download PDF
- Citation: Adler TE, Coovadia Y, Cirone D, Khemakhem ML, Usselman CW. Device-guided slow breathing reduces blood pressure and sympathetic activity in young normotensive individuals of both sexes. J Appl Physiol, 127(4): 1042-9, 2019
!!PODCAST ALERT!! In this episode of our series going behind the scenes of graduate student publications, we chat with Tessa Adler, M.Sc. (soon to be M.D.!!!)! Tessa and Charlotte go WAY back to their Yale days, and in this podcast they cover the whole 9 yards! What’s it like to go from being fellow trainees to supervisor and grad student?? What’s the secret to training your peers in a new lab while also trying to become friends with them?? What’s Tessa’s advice as a Human Who has Inched Human Knowledge Forward?? And what the heck is this “slow breathing” thing all about anyway?? Listen to find out!!!
