Neurobiology

Neurobiology Research Concentration Leadership:

Kuei Tseng (Director of Graduate Studies)
Gerardo Morfini
Amy Lasek

The Neurobiology concentration is a multidisciplinary effort across several departments in the UI College of Medicine with the goal of fostering training to graduate students in basic and translational neuroscience research and education. Our research program integrates and combines a broad spectrum of neuroscience disciplines ranging from genetic to cellular-molecular neurobiology, synaptic to neural circuit/system physiology and behavioral pharmacology. Faculty members in the Neurobiology training program are a group of highly collaborative mentors in the field of neuroscience devoted to study the mechanisms of neuronal communication and synaptic plasticity, and to reveal distinct cellular and molecular events contributing to the onset and development of a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatry disorders. Specific areas of expertise include:

Neurodevelopment, Neurogenesis and Plasticity
Drug Addiction and Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders
Cerebrovascular Function and Neuroinflammation
Neurobiology of the Synapse
Myelination and Demyelinating Disorders
Sensory and Motor Systems
Cancer of the Brain

Collectively, the areas of research in Neurobiology provides a unique opportunity for graduate students to learn and apply basic neuroscience knowledge to study mechanisms of brain function and dysfunction, and to discover novel therapeutic approaches to prevent the onset and mitigate the progression of chronic neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions.