In my early work I investigated the pathological effects of Fatty Acid Ethyl Esters (FAEE) on red blood cells (RBCs). FAEE are endogenous nonoxidative metabolites of alcohol. I was also interested in the utility of variable FAEE speciation profiles as markers of binge drinking or alcoholism.  The observed FAEE and fatty acid RBC membrane remodeling led to questions about the role of altered membrane fluidity and lipid membrane composition.  I utilized Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (SLIM), a novel form of quantitative microscopy, to characterize intrinsic RBC biophysical and biomechanical properties such as: sphericity, elasticity and the overall deformability of RBCs.  Currently, my lab uses a number of techniques, including Clarity, expansion microscopy and SLIM, to quantify neuroanatomical and neuropathological changes in both cellular and mouse brain models of neurodegenerative disease and traumatic brain injury.