Participating Departments and Divisions

Through interdisciplinary coursework and a variety of laboratory experiences, you will learn from faculty-scientists with expertise in neuroscience-related fields. Here are just some of the research topics you can explore. 

Department/Division Neuroscience Research Topics 
Biochemistry Ion channel kinetics and structure; Inherited metabolic disorders; Transgenic organisms; Gene expression; Genomics and proteomics; Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency and brain development; Metabolic programming of the hypothalamus; NMDA receptors.
Biological Sciences Regulatory mechanisms in animal behavior; G protein-coupled signal transduction; Axonal transport and neurodegenerative disease; Membrane biochemistry; Cell signaling; Sensory transduction; Neuronal computation in the auditory system.
Biomedical Engineering Neurovascular pathobiology; Intracranial aneurysm pathogenesis and intervention; Hemodynamics; Bioengineering.
Biotechnical and Clinical Laboratory Sciences Catecholamines and nonelectroactive neurochemicals in the peripheral and central nervous systems. 
Clinical and Research Institute on Addictions G-Protein coupled receptor signaling mechanisms; Synaptic transmission and plasticity in the central nervous system; Brain dopamine systems.
Communicative Disorders and Sciences Nixtroxidative stress role in ear pathology; Protein phosphorylation; Auditory system anatomy and physiology; Animal psychophysics; PET imaging; Retinoblastoma and metastatic cancer.
Exercise and Nutrition Sciences The mesolimbic reward system of the brain in energy intake and food preference.
Mathematics Techniques/measures to investigate and quantify role of network organization in brain function.
Medicine Neuropsychiatric lupus; Neurobiology; the blood-brain barrier
Microbiology and Immunology Toxoplasma and the central nervous system (brain and retina); neuroimmunology; vision science
Neurology Cognitive/behavioral neuroscience; Neuropsychology; Molecular genetics of myelination; Krabbe disease; ER stress; Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease; Mouse models of neurological disease.
Neurosurgery Cerebrovascular pathologies; Neuronal plasticity; Neruonal injury or dysfunction in epilepsy; Malignant brain tumor control; Characterization of neural stem cells; Neuroradiology.
Ophthalmology Role of extracellular matrix in rod and cone interaction; Epithelium and Muller cell glia; Global gene expression; Gene regulatory network involvement in retinal ganglion cells; Gene therapy; Neurodegenerative disorders; Protein folding; Pathophysiology.
Otolaryngology Auditory evoked potentials; Acoustics; Comparative studies of hearing; Auditory masking and adaptation.
Pathology and Anatomical Sciences Cytoskeletal mechanisms of axon guidance and growth cone motility; Endothelial cell behavior; Glial and neural regulation and development; Gene therapy for neurodegenerative disorders.
Pediatrics Behavioral economics; Behavioral factors in appetite and activity regulation; Dopamine in food reward.
Pharmaceutical Sciences Relationship between the neurochemical and behavioral effects of drugs, primarily those used to treat neuropsychiatric illnesses. 
Pharmacology and Toxicology Neuropharmacology; Molecular genetic manipulations of neurons; Receptor systems; Neural circuitry underly behavior; Elucidation of neurobiological function of novel neuropeptides; Neuropharmacology of G protein-coupled receptors; Melatonin receptors; Receptor-selective melatonin ligands for treatment; Protein phosphorylation signaling; Nerve-nerve and nerve-target systems in neurodegenerative diseases; Action of drugs of abuse; Bioinformatics; Genomics and proteomics; Signal Transduction; Xenobiotics; Heavy metal neurotoxicity; Parkinson's disease; Ion channels genetics; Psychoactive drug behavioral pharmacology.
Physiology and Biophysics Ion Channels; Effects of Methylphenidate on gene expression; Structure-function correlates in the neocortex; Compartmental organization of the vestibular nuclear complex; In vivo function of Parkin; Membrane ultrastructure and signaling domains; Remote neuro-stimulation; Optical stimulation and sensing; Voltage-gated channels; Multidisciplinary approach to development/plasticity/neural circuitry; CNS neurons.
Psychiatry Traumatic brain injury; concussion; emotion recognition, expression and regulation in TBI patients.
Psychology Biological bases of appetitive motivation/reward; Drug-addiction; Neuroanatomy/biochemistry underlying regulation of food/water/salt; Behavioral and physiological studies on perception; Neural/endocrine bases of maternal behavior; Hypothalamus functions; Behavioral neuroendocrinology.
Radiology Neurovascular imaging; Development of endovascular devices for treatment of aneurysms and cerebrovascular malformations.
Rehabilitation Sciences Neuronal activity on synaptic connections between nerve and muscle.