Retired Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Special Operations Chief Craig Cooper endured countless traumatic experiences during his 25-year career and lost many of his fellow first responders to addiction and suicide. Sadly, just one month prior to his retirement Cooper lost a fellow firefighter and U.S. Army veteran to suicide leaving behind a wife and two young children—a son and a daughter.
Now, the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) alum is leading Neurova Labs, a private firm developing treatments for neurological trauma, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—to improve cognitive performance using virtual reality (VR).
After retiring from LVFR in 2022, Cooper co-founded Neurova Labs with Dr. Brenden Borrowman, the firm’s CEO, who conducted groundbreaking research (accumulating more than a decade with the world-leading Cognitive Fx clinical and research team) to identify and treat the physical damage to the brain caused by neurological trauma. Cooper, serving as the firm’s president, said he and Borrowman “shared a deep commitment to addressing the tragic loss of our brothers and sisters to suicide and helping those struggling with addiction and the challenges of coping with life after experiencing neurological trauma.”
The fledgling company is already working with a variety of agencies, ranging from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Pathfinder PM13 Defense Solutions, Close Combat Lethality Task Force, and the U.S. Army Medical Center of Excellence to the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, U.S. Marine Corps, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, and the Joint Special Operations Command. Additional partnerships include August Mission, Ohio State University, Huntington Beach Fire Department, and even the Ukrainian government, as well as mental health institutions that are trying to mitigate the severe mental health consequences from that conflict.
Cooper (Master’s Program Cohort 1905/1906) credits CHDS with equipping him with the skills and techniques needed to transition from being a first responder to working as an executive in this new arena of the neuroscience field. After becoming accustomed to tackling and analyzing some of the complex problems presented throughout his time in the Master’s program, Cooper and his team at Neurova Labs now confront some of the complexities of mental health, TBI, and the resultant sequelae associated with PTSD. However, rather than trying to address the fallout from these conditions, they are tackling the root cause of the problem from a physiological standpoint. The decade of research in conjunction with the CognitiveFx research indicates that some of the most severe issues from these traumatic injuries result from disruption of cerebrovascular blood flow in the brain or neurovascular decoupling. The Neurova Labs team is developing a neuro-immersive virtual reality environment that restores this neurovascular coupling in affected areas of the brain.
“CHDS was instrumental in preparing me for this role,” Cooper said. “It equipped me with the assurance and skills to engage confidently with governmental leadership, analyze complex problems from multiple perspectives, and lead in dynamic, interdisciplinary settings. As the president of a neurotech company rooted in science, I had to quickly familiarize myself with the fundamentals of neuroscience. The research skills I developed during the program have been invaluable, enabling me to dive into the nuances of neuroscience and gain a foundational understanding of the technology that drives our mission forward.”
Cooper recalled first meeting Borrowman, a U.S. Army veteran and former scout sniper who happened to be wearing a Naval Postgraduate School sweatshirt at the time. Their shared experiences including personal battles with PTSD and losing colleagues to suicide and fostered an instant connection of mutual respect.
“We both agreed that the current systems aren’t working,” Cooper said. “This mission isn’t just about helping military personnel but also about supporting first responders and the broader civilian community. One of the core fundamentals is understanding that the brain doesn’t perceive the source of trauma, it just reacts to the traumatic injury or event.”
After about a year of development, Cooper and Borrowman formed Neurova Labs and introduced a treatment targeting neurovascular decoupling, which Borrowman’s research identified as the root cause of neurological cognitive decline associated with TBI and PTSD. Borrowman explained that traumatic events cause the brain to restrict blood flow to certain areas, which impairs recovery without intervention. One effect of this condition is divergent thinking, which hinders the brain’s ability to consider the consequences of actions, such as the impact of suicide on loved ones.
“When we think about individuals who have committed suicide and wonder why, despite things outwardly appearing fine, it’s possible their brain lacked the ability to process those thoughts in a moment of self-crisis or doubt,” Cooper said. He went on to explain that having a deeper understanding of the relationship between regional cerebral blood flow including both hyper-activation and hypo-activation of certain brain regions like the pre-frontal cortex and hippocampus is what differentiates their solution and increases its efficacy. Returning balanced blood flow to the brain via neurovascular re-coupling and diminishing the over-excitation of the sympathetic nervous system and its resultant effects on the brain and the body plays a major role in the positive outcomes recorded thus far via both fNCI MRI scans and personal reports.
Neurova Labs has developed a solution utilizing virtual reality to immerse users in targeted scenarios (e.g. first-person shooter sequences) designed to stimulate specific brain regions.
Dr. Jane Smith, a leading neuroscientist from the National Institute for Brain Research and Center for Brain Health, remarked, “Virtual reality has the potential to revolutionize brain health treatment. By providing precise, immersive experiences, we can target neurological dysfunctions in ways previously unimaginable.”
Cooper emphasized that VR technology is more cost-effective, scalable, and portable than traditional clinical settings while the neuro-immersive environment is also key to eliminating real-world distractions.
Borrowman’s work has extended globally, with field studies ongoing in various military communities. For instance, in Ukraine, Neurova Labs’ VR program reportedly helped a soldier traumatized by the loss of his family regain the ability to speak and engage in therapy within a short time. The Ukrainian clinic has reportedly treated about 60 soldiers using the technology, and all have returned to active duty.
The transformative impact of Neurova Labs has inspired Cooper to consider pursuing a Ph.D. to deepen his understanding of neuroscience to help propel this mission forward.
“The overarching goal of Neurova Labs is to save lives by deploying technology to treat neurological damage, improve cognitive performance, and enhance mental health outcomes,” Cooper stated. “Knowing that we can make such a profound impact on mental health and save lives motivates us every day to push the boundaries of innovation.”
“We know suicide is underreported and has significantly increased since pre-COVID-19,” he added. “What drives us at Neurova Labs is knowing we can profoundly impact mental health, not just in our country but worldwide. We’re excited to deploy this technology and make a difference.”
