Rachel Menegaz, PhD

Research

Dr. Menegaz studies the biology of feeding and chewing in humans and other mammals. Her research investigates how the material properties of diet affect the growth, structure, function and evolution of craniofacial tissues. She is also interested in the biomechanics of feeding, such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) kinematics and food-tooth interactions. Dr. Menegaz studies both healthy and dysmorphic phenotypes, such as osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) and temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJDs). Her lab uses three-dimensional geometric morphometrics, diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (diceCT), dynamic histomorphometry and serum-based markers of bone physiology to investigate diet-related changes in the craniofacial skeleton and its associated soft tissues (e.g. muscles, cartilages, etc.).

Learn more about this research on the Menegaz Lab website.

 

Current Projects

• Ontogeny and functional morphology of the rodent skull
• Craniofacial development in osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease)
• The effects of early life stress on the craniofacial complex
• Aging and unloading-related atrophy of musculoskeletal tissues in the crania (tooth loss) and postcrania (limb loss)

Selected Publications

• Husain TS, Moore JC, Huston LA, Miller CA, Steele AT, Gonzales LA, Handler EK, Organ JM, Menegaz RA. 2024. Neurocranial growth in the OIM mouse model of osteogenesis imperfecta. Anatomical Record, 307(3):581-591.
• Huston LA, Husain TS, Moore JC, Organ JM, Menegaz RA, Handler EK, Gonzales LA. 2024. Morphological variability in the inner ear of mice with osteogenesis imperfecta. Anatomical Record, 307(3):592-599.
• Moore JC, Husain TS, Huston LA, Steele AT, Organ JM, Gonzales LA, Menegaz RA, Handler EK. 2024. Dental tissue changes in juvenile and adult mice with osteogenesis imperfecta. Anatomical Record, 307(3)600-610.
• Finco MG, Finnerty C, Ngo W, and Menegaz RA. 2023. Indications of musculoskeletal health in deceased male individuals with lower-limb amputations: comparisons to non-amputee and diabetic controls. Scientific Reports, 13:8838. 
• Finco MG, Kim S, Ngo W, and Menegaz RA. 2022. A review of musculoskeletal adaptations in individuals following major lower-limb amputation. Journal of Musculoskeletal and Neuronal Interactions, 22(2):269-283.
• Finco MG and Menegaz RA. 2022.  Skeletal asymmetries in anatomical donors with lower‐limb amputations. PM&R, 14(3): 406-408. 
• Mitchell DR, Wroe S, Ravosa MJ, and Menegaz RA. 2021. More Challenging Diets Sustain Feeding Performance: Applications Toward the Captive Rearing of Wildlife. Integrative Organismal Biology 3(1), obab030.
• Menegaz RA, Ladd SH, and Organ JM. 2020.  Craniofacial allometry in the OIM−/− mouse model of osteogenesis imperfecta. FASEB Journal, 34(8):10850-10859.
• Menegaz RA, Ravosa MJ. 2017. Ontogenetic and functional modularity in the rodent mandible. Zoology 124:61-72.