Neuroscience Concentration (NC)
A supplemental PhD Graduate Student Program for students wishing to Specialize in Neuroscience.
What is NC?
Neuroscience is a broad discipline that attracts students from different backgrounds including biology, chemistry, engineering, pharmacology, physics and psychology. Indeed, neuroscience researchers often come across several neuroscience-related topics from the cellular/molecular levels up through the systems and even cognitive domains. Modern neuroscience research continues to become more and more multidisciplinary. Thus, the purpose of the NC is to:
- Bring together LSUHS PhD students from across departments with neuroscience interests in a set of core courses with a focus on neuroscience.
- Provide NC participants mentored neuroscience research experiences in faculty laboratories.
- Expose NC participants to broad concepts in cellular, molecular, functional, behavioral and medical aspects of the nervous system
What does the coursework include?
To successfully complete Neuroscience Track Program, interested graduate students will need to complete the following requirements before the dissertation defense:
- IDSP220 – Principles of Neuroscience. This capstone course will provide students with the knowledge to understand the structure and function of the nervous system from the cellular/molecular to systems and higher function levels.
- CEBIO265 – Human Neuroanatomy. This course will provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of neuroanatomic structures of the nervous system and their respective functions.
- PHARM233 – Neuropharmacology. This course will provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of the biochemical basis of normal and pathological brain function
OR
PHARM240 (plus 1 graded elective course) - Behavioral Pharmacology. This course will provide students with a mechanistic understanding of the behavioral effects of pharmacological agents and drugs of abuse. - Two elective courses with a significant neuroscience component. A list of suitable elective courses follows:
- PHARM204 - Brain Research through Advanced and Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN)
- IDSP218 - Foundations of Biomedical Sciences I: The Nervous System
- PHARM242 - Pharmacology of Drugs of Abuse
- IDSP215 - Molecular Signaling
- MICRO297 - Immunology
- IDSP219 - Inflammation, Immunity & Infection
- IDSP113 - Genetics
- IDSP119 - Gene Expression
What's after NC?
After completing the NC, students will:
- Graduate from this program with a general knowledge of the subdisciplines of neuroscience in addition to their specialty research area.
- Be able to go to a seminar or read a research paper in any area of neuroscience and understand it.
- Be able to communicate with fellow neuroscientists with different expertise.
- Be able to see beyond the scope of their specialized area of interest.
