The Stokes lab primarily focuses on cerebrovascular diseases: 

1. The first project is centered around the fact that sickle cell disease causes inflammation, and inflammatory cells may in turn promote the thrombotic complications of sickle cells disease, for example stroke. Thus, we have developed new protocols to measure the interactions between red blood cells, platelets and leukocytes in the circulation, and are investigating how reactive oxygen species and aggregation between different cells in the blood contribute to cerebral thrombosis.

2. The second project focuses on the role for hydrogen sulfide in Alzheimer’s Disease. Currently we are collaborating with Drs. Elizabeth Disbrow, J Steven Alexander and Chris Kevil on ongoing human studies investigating how changes in plasma sulfide metabolism during Alzheimer’s Disease correlates with vascular structural and functional changes longitudinally across races and sexes.

3. We are currently collaborating with Dr. Hong Sun to examine the blood cell interactions in stroke and the protective impact of low dose alcohol.

Megan Butler

Graduate Assistant
Email: megan.butler@lsuhs.edu

Tashawna Esmond 

Graduate Assistant
Email: tashawna.esmond@lsuhs.edu

Selected Publications

1. Aishwarya R, Abdullah CS, Remex NS, Bhuiyan MAN, Lu XH, Dhanesha N, Stokes KY, Orr AW, Kevil CG, Bhuiyan MS. Diastolic dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease model mice is associated with Aβ-amyloid aggregate formation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Sci Rep. 2024;14(1):16715. PMID: 39030247.

2. Pandey N, Anand SK, Kaur H, Richard KSE, Chandaluri L, Butler ME, Zhang X, Pearson-Gaillon B, Rohilla S, Das S, Magdy T, Sethu P, Nunez KG, Orr AW, Stokes KY, Thevenot PT, Cohen AK, Rom O, Dhanesha N. Enhanced Venous Thrombosis and Hypercoagulability in Murine and Human Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis. J Thromb Haemost. 2024; 22(12):3572-3580. PMID: 39306095.

3. Disbrow E, Stokes KY, Ledbetter C, Patterson J, Kelley R, Pardue S, Reekes T, Larmeu L, Batra V, Yuan S, Cvek U, Trutschl M, Kilgore P, Alexander JS, Kevil CG. Plasma hydrogen sulfide: A biomarker of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Alzheimers Dement. 2021 DOI: 10.1002/alz.12305. Pubmed PMID: 33710769. Online ahead of print.

4. Barzegar M, Wang Y, Eshaq RS, Yun JW, Boyer CJ, Cananzi SG, White LA, Chernyshev O, Kelley RE, Minagar A, Stokes KY, Lu X-H, Alexander JS. Human placental mesenchymal stem cells improve stroke outcomes via extracellular vesicle-mediated preservation of cerebral blood flow. EBioMedicine, 2021;63:103161. PMID: 33348090; PMCID: PMC7753936
5. Wang B, Yee Aw T, Stokes KY. N-acetylcysteine attenuates systemic platelet activation and cerebral vessel thrombosis in diabetes. Redox Biol. 2018 Apr;14:218-228. PubMed PMID: 28961512; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5619994. 
6. Wang B, Aw TY, Stokes KY. The protection conferred against ischemia-reperfusion injury in the diabetic brain by N-acetylcysteine is associated with decreased dicarbonyl stress. Free Radic Biol Med. 2016 Jul;96:89-98. PubMed PMID: 27083477; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5079522. 
7. Khoretonenko MV, Brunson JL, Senchenkov E, Leskov IL, Marks CR, Stokes KY. Platelets, acting in part via P-selectin, mediate cytomegalovirus-induced microvascular dysfunction. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2014 Dec 15;307(12):H1745-53. Doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00201.2014. Epub 2014 Oct 17. PubMed PMID: 25326535; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4269701.

Complete List of my Published Work in MyBibliography: LEARN MORE
 

Currently: We have two very talented graduate students who have been successful in getting fellowships and conference awards. We recently had outstanding undergraduate and high school students who were with us over the summer/past year. If you are a talented undergraduate student who is interested in researching cerebrovascular disease, check with us to see if we have a spot for you.

November 2024: Garrett Stroud, our SMART program high school student, won a poster award at Biomedical Research and Industry Day – terrific accomplishment!

October 2024: Tashawna Esmond received a poster award at the Gulf Coast Vascular Research Consortium – congratulations Tashawna!

July 2024: Tashawna Esmond was awarded a Malcolm Feist Predoctoral Fellowship from the Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Sciences – well done Tashawna!

April 2024: LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport, under the directorship of Dr. Stokes, became a site for the American Heart Associate Supporting Undergraduate Research Experiences (SURE) program.

February 2024: Megan Butler won first place in the Predoctoral Poster Category at the annual CCDS Symposium.

October 2023: Megan Butler won 2nd place poster award at Biomedical Research and Industry Day – terrific accomplishment!

August 2022: Dr. Stokes was selected to serve a term as Microcirculatory Society Chair for the Kaley Award Committee.

July 2022: Tashawna Esmond and Megan Butler were awarded T32 fellowships – great job!

May 2022: Megan Butler won third place in the Junior Predoctoral Poster Category at Graduate Research Day.

February 2022: Megan Butler won first place in the Predoctoral Poster Category at the annual CCDS Symposium.

July 2021: Dr. Stokes became a member of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Mentored Clinical and Basic Science (MCBS) Study Section.

July 2021: Dr. Stokes (as Co-PI with Dr. Wayne Orr) was awarded an NIH T32 grant to establish the MTCP program (Multidisciplinary Training in Cardiovascular Pathophysiology). 

June 2021: Dr. Stokes served as ad hoc reviewer for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) Mentored Clinical and Basic Science (MCBS) Study Section.

May 2021: Dr. Stokes was selected as Co-Chair for the AHA Career Development Award Vascular 2 Committee.

August 2020: Dr. Stokes was selected to serve a term as Microcirculatory Society Co-Chair for the Kaley Award Committee.

Postdoctoral Fellows
We are not currently recruiting Post-Doctoral Fellows at this time.

Graduate Students

Graduate students interested in conducting research in the Stokes lab should review the current laboratory research directions and contact Dr. Stokes at karen.stokes@lsuhs.edu.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

We are not currently hiring any additional undergraduates. However, positions can become available during the summer.

Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows

The Stokes laboratory has a number of research projects available for any Medical Students, Residents, and Fellows. Those who are interested should contact Dr. Stokes directly at karen.stokes@lsuhs.edu.