Wynn Legon

Wynn Legon, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and School of Neuroscience (Virginia Tech College of Science). He earned his doctorate in Kinesiology and Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Waterloo, Canada, after completing both bachelor's and master's degrees in Kinesiology at York University, Toronto.

• Education
• Ph.D., Kinesiology and Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience (University of Waterloo)
• M.S., Kinesiology (York University)
• B.A., Kinesiology (York University)

Dr. Legon's research focuses on low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) as a ground-breaking non-invasive neuromodulation technology. His work combines EEG, fMRI, and TMS to explore applications in addiction treatment, chronic pain management, and depression therapies, with particular emphasis on targeting deep brain structures like the insula and thalamus.

His 15 most recent publications demonstrate LIFU's ability to:

• Modulate cortical excitability (Nature Neuroscience 2014)
• Target deep brain regions (Human Brain Mapping 2018)
• Improve pain treatment (PAIN 2024)
• Enhance motor cortex research (Scientific Reports 2018)
• Develop novel acoustic coupling media (Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology 2023)
• Characterize cranial window prosthetics (Journal of Neurosurgery 2020)

Scientific achievements include

• Wiley top cited article (2018-2019)
• Visiting Scholar at Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (2017)
• Dual Outstanding Poster Awards (2016)
• NSERC & University of Waterloo Post-Graduate Scholarships (2008-2009)

Dr. Legon advises multiple graduate students from Virginia Tech's Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health program and School of Neuroscience. His research on addiction, pain, and depression has received funding from the Seale Innovation Fund, Focused Ultrasound Foundation, and NIH.