Research Summary
Dr. Brown’s overall area of research interest is the structure-function relationship of pulmonary airways and vessels and how they relate to reactive airway disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Current research interests and funded projects include the study of mechanisms and treatment of COPD progression, HIV infection in the etiology of lung disease, the natural history of asthma from birth to early adult life, the pathophysiologic consequences of lung distension, new approaches for the treatment of asthma, and lung inflation and airway hyperresponsiveness.
In particular, the studies in his laboratory involve: (1) the regional differences in airways constriction in response to a variety of differential bronchoconstrictors; (2) the location and mechanism of inhalational-induced bronchodilation (3) the effects of various physiologic stimuli on airway constriction; (4) pulmonary vasculature and airway interaction following various physiologic stimuli; (5) noninvasive methods of measuring lung disease; (6) the relationship of emphysema and airway distensibility to obstructive lung disease; (7) three-dimensional reconstruction of the airway tree; (8) radiation exposure in at-risk populations; and (9) high-resolution computed tomography of the pulmonary airways and vessels in vivo.
Dr. Brown’s long-term goal is to elucidate the structural changes in the lungs that lead to the pathophysiology of lung disease.
Selected Publications
Brown RH, Irvin C, Allen G, Shapiro S, Martin W, Kolb M, Hyde D, Nieman G, Cody D, Ishii M, Kadlecek S, Driehuys B, Rizi R, Wu A, Weber W, Stout D. "An official ATS conference proceedings: Advances in small-animal imaging application to lung pathophysiology." Proc Am Thorac Soc. 2008 Jul 15;5(5):591-600
Brown RH, Kaczka D, Fallano K, Chen S, Mitzner W. "Temporal variability in the responses of individual canine airways to methacholine." J Appl Physiol. 2008 May;104(5):1381-6
Meier S, Groeben H, Mitzner W, Brown RH. "Genetic variability of induction and emergence times for inhalational anaesthetics." Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2008 Feb;25(2):113-7. Epub 2007 Aug 1
Brown RH, Wizeman W, Danek C, Mitzner W. "Effects of bronchial thermoplasty on airway closure." Clinical Medicine: Circulatory, Respiratory and Pulmonary Medicine. 2007 Oct 12;1:1-6
Seow CY, An SS, Bai TR, Bates JHT, Black JL, Brown RH, et al. "Airway smooth muscle dynamics: A final common pathway of airway obstruction in asthma." Eur Respir J. 2007 May;29(5):834-60
