Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

David W. Shucard PhD FAASM

Department of Neurology

Professor and Director, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurosciences

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Professional Summary:

I am the director of the Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurosciences in the Department of Neurology. I founded the Neurodiagnostic Laboratory at Buffalo General Hospital and I was the associate director of the Sleep Disorder Center of Western New York. I am a Diplomate in the American Board of Sleep Medicine and a Fellow in the American Psychological Association.

My research is in the area of cognitive and behavioral neuroscience with particular interest in the neurophysiological basis of cognitive functioning, intellectual abilities, attention, and the role of sleep and sleep disorders, such as apnea, on neurocognitive functioning. The major methodological approach used in my laboratory is a combination of electrophysiological (mainly event-related brain potentials), neuropsychological, and other behavioral methods. Collaborative positron emission tomography (PET) and MRI studies have also been conducted in combination with electrophysiology. Both clinical and nonclinical populations are being studied. Populations studied have included infants, children, and adults, as well as animals. Recent work with clinical populations has focused on cognitive disturbances in autoimmune disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Also, recent research has been directed at brain mechanisms of cognitive control such as conflict resolution and response inhibition. The development of novel electrophysiological markers of neural efficiency and cognitive function via state-of-the art dense electrophysiological techniques is also a focus of the research. In general, the research takes a systems approach to understanding cognitive functioning.

Research and clinical training/teaching are important functions of the division. Over the years, our laboratory has mentored and trained undergraduate and graduate students, medical students, medical residents, and neuropsychology postdoctoral fellows/residents. Because of the scope of clinical and research areas housed within the Division, and the availability of collaborative possibilities, unique opportunities are present for training and for examining research questions in new and creative ways.

Education and Training:

PhD, Psychophysiology/Experimental Psychology, University of Denver (1969)
MS, Zoology, University of Denver (1967)
BA, Zoology, Chemistry, Literature, University of Colorado (1962)
Postdoctoral Fellow, cognitive neuroscience, animal and human neurophysiology, and clinical elec, University of California, Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute and Stanford University

Employment:

Professor, Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo (1989-present)
Founder/Director, Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurosciences, Neurology, University ar Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (1985-present)
Professor, Department of Neurology, Neurology, University ar Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (1985-present)
Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University ar Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (1985-present)
Associate Center Director, Sleep Disorder Center of Western NY, Millard Fillmore Hospital (1998–2008)
Founder/Director Neurodiagnostic Laboratory, Neurology, Buffalo General Hospital (1985–2005)
Director, Center for the Study of the Beiobehavioral and Social Aspects of Health, University at Buffalo (1992–1996)
Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine (1984–1985)
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Denver (1979–1985)
Teaching Faculty, School of Professional Psychology, University of Denver, School of Professional Psychology (1979–1985)
Founder/Director, Brain Sciences Laboratories, Pediatrics, National Jewish Hospital and Research Center (1976–1985)
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, School of Medicine (1978–1984)
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Denver (1975–1979)
Professional Staff, National Jewish Hospital and Research Center, Behavioral Science, National Jewish Hospital and Research Center (1971–1976)
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado School of Medicine, School of Medicine (1971–1976)

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Research Expertise:

Cognitive and behavioral neurosciences: Study the relationships between behavioral and biological variables, with an emphasis on the neurophysiology of the brain as the dependent measure
Cognitive disturbances in Multiple Sclerosis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and PTSD
Cognitive processes: Neurophysiology associated with cognitive processes such as working memory and attention; information processing; intellectual abilities; learning disorders; intellectual/cognitive development; language development; psychological disorders; drug effects; and immunological reactions
EEG
Electrophysiological, behavioral, neuropsychological, immunological, biochemical, and neuroimaging: Techniques used
Event-Related Brain Potentials: Dense electrode EEGs and ERPs are used to investigate the cognitive processes such as working memory, cognitive control, and information processing in both clinical and nonclinical populations.
Nervous system of both animals and humans
Neuropsychology
Polysomnography (Sleep Medicine): Boarded in Sleep Disorders Medicine

Grants and Sponsored Research:

June 2017–June 2020
The effects of working memory training on brain function, structure, and cognition in MS
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
$622,839
October 2016–November 2017
Neurocognitive, electrophysiological and MRI changes associated with low level laser therapy (photobiomodulation) in the treatment of Traumatic Brain Injury: A pilot study
American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
$68,000
August 2014–April 2016
Does working memory training improve brain function and cognition in healthy individuals and in patients with Multiple Sclerosis?
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Role: Co-Investigator
$60,000
September 2014–August 2015
Does working memory training improve brain function and cognition in MS?
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Role: Co-Investigator
$44,000
January 2006–January 2011
Neurological indices of CNS involvement in non-CNS SLE
NIH
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
$1,200,000
January 2006–December 2006
Neurological Indices of CNS Involvement in SLE
James H. Cummings Foundation
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
$179,267

Journal Articles:

Shucard J.L., Cox J.L., Shucard D.W., Fetter H., Chung C., Ramasamy D., Violanti J.. Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder are related to structural MRI and behavioral measures of affective stimulus processing in police officers. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. 2012; 204.
Covey T.J., Shucard, J.L., Shucard, D.W., Stegen S., Benedict, R.H.. Comparison of neuropsychological impairment and vocational outcomes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Multiple Sclerosis patients. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. 2012; 18.
Covey TJ, Zivadinov R, Shucard JL, Shucard DW. Information processing speed, neural efficiency, and working memory performance in multiple sclerosis: Differential relationships with structural magnetic resonance imaging J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2011; 33(10).
Shucard JL, Lee WH, Safford AS, Shucard DW. The relationship between processing speed and working memory demand in systemic lupus erythematosus: evidence from a visual n-back task Neuropsychology. 2011; 25(1).
Shucard JL, Tekok-Kilic A, Shiels K, Shucard DW. Stage and load effects on ERP topography during verbal and spatial working memory Brain Res. 2009; 1254.
Benedict RH, Shucard JL, Zivadinov R, Shucard DW. Neuropsychological impairment in systemic lupus erythematosus: a comparison with multiple sclerosis Neuropsychol Rev. 2008; 18(2).
Parmenter BA, Shucard JL, Shucard DW. Information processing deficits in multiple sclerosis: a matter of complexity J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2007; 13(3).
Shucard JL, Gaines JJ, Ambrus J, Shucard DW, Ambrus JL. C-reactive protein and cognitive deficits in systemic lupus erythematosus Cogn Behav Neurol. 2007; 20(1).
Parmenter BA, Shucard JL, Benedict RH, Shucard DW. Working memory deficits in multiple sclerosis: comparison between the n-back task and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2006; 12(5).
Shucard DW, Abara JP, McCabe DC, Benedict RB, Shucard JL. The effects of covert attention and stimulus complexity on the P3 response during an auditory continuous performance task Int J Psychophysiol. 2004; 54(3).
Everhart DE, Shucard JL, Quatrin T, Shucard DW. Tone probe event-related potential differences during a face recognition task in prepubertal children and Turner Syndrome girls Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2004; 29(10).
Jureyda S., Shucard DW. Obstructive sleep apnea: An overview of the disorder and its consequences. Seminars in Orthodontics. 2004; 10.
Shucard JL, Parrish J, Shucard DW, McCabe DC, Benedict RH, Ambrus J. Working memory and processing speed deficits in systemic lupus erythematosus as measured by the paced auditory serial addition test. J Int Neuropsychol Soc. 2004; 10(1).
Shucard DW, Santa Maria MP, Specht CM, Podkulski M. Single-trial latency variability of auditory evoked potentials may indicate immediate memory in the albino rat Int J Psychophysiol. 2003; 47(3).
Benedict RH, Shucard DW, Santa Maria MP, Shucard JL, Abara JP, Coad ML, Wack D, Sawusch J, Lockwood A. Covert auditory attention generates activation in the rostral/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex J Cogn Neurosci. 2002; 14(4).
Everhart DE, Shucard JL, Quatrin T, Shucard DW. Sex-related differences in event-related potentials, face recognition, and facial affect processing in prepubertal children Neuropsychology. 2001; 15(3).
Tekok-Kilic A, Shucard JL, Shucard DW. Stimulus modality and Go/NoGo effects on P3 during parallel visual and auditory continuous performance tasks Psychophysiology. 2001; 38(3).
Beverly Bishop, Silva G, John Krasney, Nakano H, Roberts A, Farkas G, Daniel Rifkin, David Shucard. Ambient temperature modulates hypoxic-induced changes in rat body temperature and activity differentially. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2001; 280(4).
Fischer JS, Priore RL, Jacobs LD, Cookfair DL, Rudick RA, Herndon RM, Richert JR, Salazar AM, Goodkin DE, Granger CV, Simon JH, Grafman JH, Lezak MD, O‘Reilly Hovey KM, Perkins KK, Barilla-Clark D, Schacter M, Shucard DW, Davidson AL, Wende KE, Bourdette DN, Kooijmans-Coutinho MF. Neuropsychological effects of interferon beta-1a in relapsing multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis Collaborative Research Group Ann Neurol. 2000; 48(6).
Beverly Bishop, Silva G, John Krasney, Salloum A, Roberts A, Nakano H, David Shucard, Daniel Rifkin, Farkas G. Circadian rhythms of body temperature and activity levels during 63 h of hypoxia in the rat. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2000; 279(4).
El Solh AA, Mador MJ, Tenbrock E, Shucard DW, Abul-Khoudoud, M, Grant BJ. Validity of an artificial neural network in predicting sleep apnea. Sleep. 1999; 22.
Shafer VL, Shucard DW, Shucard JL, Gerken L. An electrophysiological study of infants‘ sensitivity to the sound patterns of English speech J Speech Lang Hear Res. 1998; 41(4).
Hoffman SA, Shucard DW, Harbeck RJ. The immune system can affect learning: chronic immune complex disease in a rat model J Neuroimmunol. 1998; 86(2).
Shafer V.L., Shucard DW, Jaeger J.J.. Electrophysiological indices of cerebral specialization and the role of prosody in language acquisition in three-month-old infants. Developmental Neuropsychology. 1998; 15(1).
Ralph Benedict, Alan Lockwood, Shucard JL, David Shucard, Wack D, Murphy BW. Functional neuroimaging of attention in the auditory modality. Neuroreport. 1998; 9(1).
Shucard DW, Benedict RH, Tekok-Kilic A, Lichter DG. Slowed reaction time during a continuous performance test in children with Tourette‘s syndrome Neuropsychology. 1997; 11(1).
Banks EC, Ferretti LE, Shucard DW. Effects of low level lead exposure on cognitive function in children: a review of behavioral, neuropsychological and biological evidence Neurotoxicology. 1997; 18(1).
Specht CM, Shucard DW. Single-trial latency variability does not contribute to fast habituation of the long-latency averaged auditory evoked potential in the albino rat Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1996; 100(5).
Shucard DW, Specht CM. Fast habituation of the long-latency auditory evoked potential in the awake albino rat Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1996; 100(1).
Shafer V.L., Shucard DW. Is the right hemisphere of the brain functionally specialized to process prosodic information from birth?. Proceedings of the 19th Annual Boston University Conference on Language Development. 1995; 2.
Ten Brock E, Shucard DW,. Sleep apnea Am Fam Physician. 1994; 49(2).
Rogers B, Msall M, Shucard D. Hypoxemia during oral feedings in adults with dysphagia and severe neurological disabilities Dysphagia. 1993; 8(1).
Shucard DW, Shucard JL, Cooper R.R., Schacter M.. Electrophysiological and neuropsychological indices of cognitive processing deficits in Turner Syndrome. Developmental Neuropsychology. 1992; 8.
Kerr SL, Shucard DW, Kohrman MH, Cohen ME. Sequential use of standard and ambulatory EEG in neonatal seizures Pediatr Neurol. 1990; 6(3).
Shucard DW. Auditory evoked potentials and hand preference in six month old infants: Possible gender-related differences in cerebral organization. Developmental Psychology. 1990; 26.
Shucard DW, Creer TL. The effects of antihistamines on electrophysiologic and behavioral measures of cognition J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1989; 84(3).
Selinger M, Prescott TE, Shucard DW. Auditory event-related potential probes and behavioral measures of aphasia Brain Lang. 1989; 36(3).
Cannella DM, Kapp JP, Munschauer FE, Markov AK, Shucard DW. Cerebral resuscitation with succinate and fructose-1, 6-diphosphate Surg Neurol. 1989; 31(3).
Duffner PK, Cohen ME, Seidel FG, Shucard DW. The significance of MRI abnormalities in children with neurofibromatosis Neurology. 1989; 39(3).
Thomas D.G., Shucard DW, Shucard JL, Campos J.J.. The effects of stimulus and laboratory experience on auditory evoked potentials in infancy. Developmental Neuropsychology. 1989; 5.
Hoffman S.A., Narendran A., Shucard DW, Harbeck R.J.. Antibodies, immune complexes, and behavioral disorders: Neuropsychiatric involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Drug Development Research. 1988; 15.
Shucard DW, Shucard JL, Thomas DG. Neurophysiological studies of human cognitive development in premature infants: an approach to the study of maturational brain processes Neurotoxicology. 1988; 9(3).
Shucard JL, Shucard DW, Patterson R, Guthrie R. Prenatal lead exposure and its potential significance for developmental disabilities: a preliminary study of umbilical cord blood lead levels Neurotoxicology. 1988; 9(3).
Hoffman SA, Arbogast DN, Ford PM, Shucard DW, Harbeck RJ. Brain-reactive autoantibody levels in the sera of ageing autoimmune mice Clin Exp Immunol. 1987; 70(1).
Shucard DW, Shucard JL, Thomas DG. Auditory event-related potentials in waking infants and adults: a developmental perspective Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1987; 68(4).
Church M.W., Shucard DW. Pentobarbital-induced changes in the mouse brainstem auditory evoked potential as a function of click repetition rate and time postdrug. Brain Research. 1987; 403.
Church MW, Shucard DW. Theophylline-induced changes in the mouse brainstem auditory evoked potential Neurotoxicol Teratol. 1987; 9(1).
Church MW, Shucard DW. Age-related hearing loss in BDF1 mice as evidenced by the brainstem auditory evoked potential Audiology. 1986; 25(6).
Pennington BF, Heaton RK, Karzmark P, Pendleton MG, Lehman R, Shucard DW. The neuropsychological phenotype in Turner syndrome Cortex. 1985; 21(3).
Salamy JG, Grunstein MM, Welanko PR, Shucard DW. Effects of impeded breathing on auditory brainstem responses in conscious man. Int J Neurosci. 1985; 27(3-4).
Shucard DW, Spector SL, Euwer RL, Cummins KR, Shucard JL, Friedman A. Central nervous system effects of antiasthma medication--an EEG study Ann Allergy. 1985; 54(3).
Welch TM, Church MW, Shucard DW. A method for chronically recording brain-stem and cortical auditory evoked potentials from unanesthetized mice Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1985; 60(1).
Shucard DW, Cummins KR, McGee MG. Event-related brain potentials differentiate normal and disabled readers Brain Lang. 1984; 21(2).
Salamy JG, Wolk DJ, Shucard DW. Psychophysiological assessment of statements about pain Psychophysiology. 1983; 20(5).
Thomas DG, Shucard DW. The use of a control or baseline condition in electrophysiological studies of hemispheric specialization of function Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1983; 55(5).
Hoffman SA, Arbogast DN, Day TT, Shucard DW, Harbeck RJ. Permeability of the blood cerebrospinal fluid barrier during acute immune complex disease J Immunol. 1983; 130(4).
Thomas DG, Shucard DW. Changes in patterns of hemispheric electrophysiological activity as a function of instructional set Int J Neurosci. 1983; 18(1-2).
Shucard DW, Shucard JL, Campos JJ, Salamy JG. Some issues pertaining to auditory evoked potentials and sex-related differences in brain development Brain Lang. 1982; 16(2).
Kuraisa R.J., Shucard DW, Salamy J.G.. A laboratory computer system for control of events and real time data acquisition and display. Proceedings of the Digital Equipment Users Society. 1982.
Salamy J, Shucard D, Alexander H, Peterson D, Braud L. Physiological changes in hyperactive children following the ingestion of food additives Int J Neurosci. 1982; 16(3-4).
Hoffman SA, Shucard DW, Brodie HA, Reifenrath C, Harbeck RJ. Suppression of water intake by immune complex formation in the hypothalamus. Implications for systemic lupus erythematosus J Neuroimmunol. 1982; 2(2).
Shucard DW, Cummins KR, Thomas DG, Shucard JL. Evoked potentials to auditory probes as indices of cerebral specialization of function--replication and extension Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1981; 52(5).
Thomas DG, Campos JJ, Shucard DW, Ramsay DS, Shucard J. Semantic comprehension in infancy: a signal detection analysis Child Dev. 1981; 52(3).
Shucard JL, Shucard DW, Cummins KR, Campos JJ. Auditory evoked potentials and sex-related differences in brain development Brain Lang. 1981; 13(1).
Hudgel DW, Shucard DW. Sleep hypoxemia. Growing clinical awareness Colo Med. 1980; 77(1).
Hudgel DW, Shucard DW. Coexistence of sleep apnea and asthma resulting in severe sleep hypoxemia JAMA. 1979; 242(25).
Harbeck RJ, Hoffman AA, Hoffman SA, Shucard DW. Cerebrospinal fluid and the choroid plexus during acute immune complex disease Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1979; 13(4).
Brodie HA, Shucard DW, Hoffman SA. Simple apparatus for blocking small animal brains Brain Res Bull. 1979; 4(3).
Shucard DW, Shucard JL. Stimulus intensity expectation and visual evoked brain potentials Psychophysiology. 1978; 15(6).
Hoffman SA, Shucard DW, Harbeck RJ, Hoffman AA. Chronic immune complex disease: behavioral and immunological correlates J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 1978; 37(4).
Hoffman SA, Hoffman AA, Shucard DW, Harbeck RJ. Antibodies to dissociated cerebellar cells in New Zealand mice as demonstrated by immunofluorescence Brain Res. 1978; 142(3).
Harbeck RJ, Hoffman AA, Hoffman SA, Shucard DW, Carr RI. A naturally occurring antibody in New Zealand mice cytotoxic to dissociated cerebellar cells Clin Exp Immunol. 1978; 31(2).
Carr RI, Shucard DW, Hoffman SA, Hoffman AW, Bardana EJ, Harbeck RJ. Neuropsychiatric involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus Birth Defects Orig Artic Ser. 1978; 14(5).
Shucard DW, Shucard JL, Thomas DG. Auditory evoked potentials as probes of hemispheric differences in cognitive processing Science. 1977; 197(4310).
Shucard DW, Andrew M. Atropine-induced bradycardia in the guinea pig: dose-response Res Commun Chem Pathol Pharmacol. 1977; 16(3).
Shucard DW, Andrew M, Beauford C. A safe and fast-acting surgical anesthetic for use in the guinea pig J Appl Physiol. 1975; 38(3).
Shucard DW, Callaway E. Auditory evoked potential amplitude and variability--effects of task and intellectual ability J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1974; 87(2).
Kinsman RA, Spector SL, Shucard DW, Luparello TJ. Observations on patterns of subjective symptomatology of acute asthma Psychosom Med. 1974; 36(2).
Shucard DW, Horn JL. Evoked potential amplitude change related to intelligence and arousal Psychophysiology. 1973; 10(5).
Shucard DW, Callaway E. Relationship between human intelligence and frequency analysis of cortical evoked responses Percept Mot Skills. 1973; 36(1).
Shucard DW. IQ: Methodological and other issues Science. 1972; 178(4058).
Shucard DW, Horn JL. Evoked cortical potentials and measurement of human abilities J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1972; 78(1).
Shucard DW, Horn J.L., Metcalf D.. An objective procedure for the hand scoring of cortical average evoked potentials. Behavior Research Methods and Instrumentation. 1971; 3.
Homzie M.J., Shucard DW, Trost R.C.. Effects of percentage of reinforcement in fear conditioning upon the acquisition of an instrumental response. Psychonomic Science. 1969; 17.

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Books and Book Chapters:

Shucard D, Parmenter B., El-Sohl A.. Computer analysis of sleep studies. 2006; 6.
Shucard DW, McGee M.G., Cummins K.R., Minarick D.D., Hill J.C.. Patterns of electrophysiological activity in normal and disabled readers. 1989.
Shucard DW, Shucard JL, Thomas D.G.. Sex differences in the patterns of scalp-recorded electrophysiological activity in infancy: Possible implications for language development. 1987.
Shucard DW, Cummins K.R., Gay E.. Electrophysiological studies of reading disabled children: In search of subtypes. 1985.
Shucard DW, Shucard JL, Thomas D.G.. The development of cerebral specialization in infants: Electrophysiological and behavioral studies. 1984.
Crnic L., Reite M.L., Shucard DW. Animal models of human behavior: Their application to the study of attachment. 1982.
Selinger M., Shucard DW, Prescott T.. Relationships between behavioral and electrophysiological measures of auditory comprehension. 1980.

Service Activities:

Faculty Senate; Member (2000)
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Admissions Committee; Member (1999)
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Council Steering Committee; Member (1999)
Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Promotions; Member (1996)
Neurology, Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences Resident Review/Advisory; Member (1986)

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Contact Information

Department of Neurology
Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neurosciences
Sherman Hall Rm 114A
Buffalo, NY 14214
Phone: (716) 829-2099
Email: dshucard@buffalo.edu

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David W. Shucard PhD FAASM

Professional Summary:

Education and Training:

Employment:

Research Expertise:

Grants and Sponsored Research:

Journal Articles:

Books and Book Chapters:

Service Activities:

School News:

In the Media:

Clinical Specialties:

Clinical Offices:

Insurance Accepted:

Contact Information

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