Neuroscience
L-200 Sterling Hall of Medicine, 785.5932
M.S., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Directors of Graduate Studies
Haig Keshishian (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology)
(KBT 640, 432.3478, haig.keshishian@yale.edu)
Charles Greer (Neurosurgery; Neurobiology)
(LSOG 221, 785.4034, charles.greer@yale.edu)
Professors
George Aghajanian (Psychiatry; Pharmacology), Colin Barnstable (Ophthalmology & Visual Science; Neurobiology), Linda Bartoshuk (Surgery; Epidemiology; Psychology), Walter Boron (Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Benjamin Bunney (Psychiatry; Pharmacology), John Carlson (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Marvin Chun (Psychology), Lawrence Cohen (Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Nigel Daw (Ophthalmology & Visual Science; Neurobiology), Pietro De Camilli (Cell Biology), Ronald Duman (Psychiatry; Pharmacology), Barbara Ehrlich (Pharmacology; Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Charles Greer (Neurosurgery, Neurobiology), Susan Hockfield (Neurobiology), Marcia Johnson (Psychology), Leonard Kaczmarek (Pharmacology; Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Kenneth Kidd (Genetics; Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology; Psychiatry), Jeffery Kocsis (Neurology; Neurobiology), Robert LaMotte (Anesthesiology; Neurobiology), Thomas Lentz (Cell Biology), Laura Manuelidis (Neuropathology), David McCormick (Neurobiology), Mark Mooseker (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology; Cell Biology), Frederick Naftolin (Obstetrics & Gynecology; Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Angus Nairn (Psychiatry), Pasko Rakic (Neurobiology), J. Murdoch Ritchie (Pharma-cology), Robert Roth (Psychiatry; Pharmacology), Gary Rudnick (Pharmacology), W. Mark Saltzman (Chemical Engineering; Biomedical Engineering), Joseph Santos-Sacchi (Surgery; Neurobiology), Ilsa Schwartz (Surgery; Neurobiology), Steven Segal (Epidemiology; Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Gordon Shepherd (Neurobiology), Frederick Sigworth (Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Stephen Strittmatter (Neurology; Neurobiology), Allan Wagner (Psychology), Stephen Waxman (Neurology; Pharmacology), Robert Wyman (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Steven Zucker (Computer Science)
Associate Professors
Meenakshi Alreja (Psychiatry; Neurobiology), Amy Arnsten (Neurobiology), Charles Bruce (Neurobiology), R. Todd Constable (Diagnostic Radiology; Neurosurgery), Nihal de Lanerolle (Neurosurgery; Neurobiology), Paul Forscher (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), James Howe (Pharmacology), Anthony Koleske (Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry), Marina Picciotto (Psychiatry; Pharmacology; Neurobiology), George Richerson (Neurology; Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Michael Schwartz (Neurobiology), Jane Taylor (Psychiatry; Psychology), Flora Vaccarino (Child Study Center; Neurobiology), Michael Westerveld (Neurosurgery), Anne Williamson (Neurosurgery; Neurobiology), Tian Xu (Genetics)
Assistant Professors
Patrick Allen (Psychiatry), Thomas Biederer (Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry), Hal Blumenfeld (Neurology; Neurobiology), Angélique Bordey (Neurosurgery), Wei Chen (Neurobiology), Maria Donoghue Velleca (Neurobiology), Reiko Maki Fitzsimonds (Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Karyn Frick (Psychology), Lise Heginbotham (Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry), Mark Laubach (Neurobiology), David LaVan (Mechanical Engineering), Erin Lavik (Biomedical Engineering), Christy Marshuetz (Psychology), Russell Matthews (Neurobiology), Dhasakumar Navaratnam (Neurology; Neurobiology), Michael Nitabach (Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Vincent Pieribone (Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Maria Mercedes Piñango (Linguistics), Laurie Santos (Psychology), Glenn Schafe (Psychology), Nenad Sestan (Neurobiology), Matthew State (Child Study Center; Genetics), Elke Stein (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Ning Tian (Ophthalmology & Visual Science), Vinzenz Unger (Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry), David Wells (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology), Mark Yeckel (Neurobiology), David Zenisek (Cellular & Molecular Physiology), Weimin Zhong (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology)
Research Scientists
Joel Black (Neurology), Nicholas Carnevale (Psychology)
Fields of Study
The Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program offers flexible but structured interdisciplinary training for independent research and teaching in neuroscience. The goal of the program is to ensure that degree candidates obtain a solid understanding of cellular and molecular neurobiology, physiology and biophysics, neural development, systems and behavior, and neural computation. In addition to course work, graduate students participate in a regular journal club, organize the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program Seminar Series, and attend other seminar programs, named lectureships, symposia, and an annual research retreat.
Special Admissions Requirements
Applicants to the Neuroscience Program should have a B.S. or B.A. Most applicants have had course work in neuroscience, psychobiology, physiological psychology, mathematics through calculus, general physics, general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, computer science, or engineering. Deficiencies in these areas can be corrected through appropriate course work in the first year of residence. Laboratory research experience is desirable but is not a formal requirement. Scores for the GRE (General Test required; Subject Test recommended) or MCAT, three letters of recommendation, transcripts of undergraduate grades, and a statement of interest must accompany the application.
To enter the Ph.D. program, students apply to an interest-based track within the interdepartmental graduate program in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
Each entering student is assigned a faculty advisory committee to provide guidance. This committee is responsible for establishing the student's course of study and for monitoring his or her progress. This committee will be subsequently modified to include faculty with expertise in the student's emerging area of interest. Although each student's precise course requirements are set individually to take account of background and educational goals, the course of study is based on a model curriculum beginning with three core courses (Principles of Neuroscience, Neurobiology, and Structural and Functional Analysis of the Human Nervous System) designed to ensure broad competence in modern neuroscience. Students are also required to complete at least three additional courses from a broad set of neuroscience-related courses. The Graduate School uses grades of Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail and requires two term grades of Honors during the first two years of study. Students are expected to maintain at least a High Pass average. A series of at least two laboratory rotations during the first year of the program also ensures that degree candidates obtain a solid background in systems, cellular, and molecular approaches to neuroscience. Admission to candidacy requires passing a qualifying examination normally given during the second year, and submission of a dissertation prospectus (NIH grant format) before the end of the third year. In accordance with the expectations of the BBS program, Ph.D. students are expected to participate in two terms (or the equivalent) of teaching. Thesis committee meetings are required annually. Also required is the completion and satisfactory defense of the thesis.
Requirements for M.D./Ph.D. students are the same as for Ph.D. students with the following differences: five courses are required (Principles of Neuroscience and Structural and Functional Analysis of the Human Nervous System, and three elective graduate level courses). M.D./Ph.D. students are required to serve for one term as teaching assistants; however, two terms of teaching are preferred.
Master's Degrees
M.Phil. See Graduate School requirements.
M.S. Awarded only to students who are not continuing for the Ph.D. degree but who have successfully completed one year of the doctoral program. Students are not admitted for this degree.
Program materials are available upon request to the Director of Graduate Studies, Neuroscience, Yale University, PO Box 208074, New Haven CT 06520-8074.
Courses
NSCI 501a, Principles of Neuroscience. Marina Picciotto, Reiko Fitzsimonds.
WF 3.15–4.45
General neuroscience seminar: lectures, readings, and discussion of selected topics in neuroscience. Emphasis is on how approaches at the molecular, cellular, physiological, and organismal levels can lead to understanding of neuronal and brain function. Also NBIO 501a.
[NSCI 502b, Cell Biology of the Nerve Cell.]
[NSCI 503b, Molecular Neurobiology.]
NSCI 504b, Seminar in Brain Development and Plasticity. Elke Stein.
MW 2.30–3.45
Weekly seminars (Monday) and discussion sessions (Wednesday) to explore recent advances in our understanding of brain development and plasticity, including neuronal determination, axon guidance, synaptogenesis, and developmental plasticity. Also MCDB 735bu.
[NSCI 505b, Sensory Systems.]
[NSCI 506b, Introduction to Brain and Behavior.]
[NSCI 507b, Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurological Disease.]
[NSCI 508a, Functional Properties of Cortical Neurons and Circuits.]
[NSCI 509, Neuroimmunology: Neural and Immune Cell Adhesion Molecules.]
NSCI 510b, Structural and Functional Organization of the Human Nervous System. Pasko Rakic, Michael Schwartz, and staff.
An integrative overview of the structure and function of the human brain pertaining to major neurological and psychiatric disorders. Also NBIO 500b.
[NSCI 511b, Neurobiology of Drug Addiction.]
[NSCI 512a, Genes and Behavior.]
[NSCI 514a, The Regulation of Cell Fate during CNS Development.]
NSCI 519a/b, Tutorial.
By arrangement with faculty and approval of the director of graduate studies.
[NSCI 521a, Neuroimaging in Neuropsychiatry.]
[NSCI 529b, Computational Neuroscience.]
[NSCI 530b, Neurobiology of Schizophrenia.]
[NSCI 539b, Synaptic Organization of the Nervous System.]
[NSCI 540a, Introduction to Statistics in Psychology.]
[NSCI 550a, Introduction to Neuroinformatics.]
[NSCI 560b, Genomics and Proteomics of the Nervous System.]
[NSCI 570a, Cellular and Network Dynamics of Sensory and Motor Functions.]
[NSCI 600a, Experimental Methods in Neuroscience.]
[NSCI 605b, Pathways of Discovery in Neuroscience.]
[NSCI 610b, Neurophysiology: Theory and Practice.]
NSCI 611b, Neurophysiology. Thomas Brown.
T 1.30–4
The purpose of the course is to learn the basic principles, facts, and methods of cellular and systems neurophysiology. The topics range from molecular and subcellular levels of analysis to small circuits and large systems. At the same time, the strengths and limitations of the methods of data acquisition and analysis are addressed, as this is a field which is very much technology-driven. The principal readings are from a modern textbook in the field. These are supplemented where necessary with original scientific research papers. The ultimate goal is to understand the physical basis for the kinds of information processing and storage in the brain that ultimately give rise to such higher-level functions as learning and memory, perception, and motor functions. The course is intended for advanced undergraduates or beginning graduates.
[NSCI 614a, Neurobiology of Learning and Memory.]
[NSCI 634b, Behavioral Neuroendocrinology.]
[NSCI 645a, Foundations of Behavioral Neuroscience.]
[NSCI 646, Advances in Cognitive Neuroscience: Prefrontal Cortex and Memory.]
[NSCI 647b, Cellular Analysis of Learning: In Vitro.]
[NSCI 666b, From Neurons to Behavior.]
[NSCI 674b, Psychopharmacology.]
NSCI 720a, Neurobiology. Haig Keshishian, Paul Forscher.
MWF 11.30–12.20
Examination of the excitability of the nerve cell membrane provides a starting point for the study of molecular, cellular, and intracellular mechanisms underlying the generation and control of behavior. Also MCDB 720au, NBIO 720a.
The following course is also of particular value to students in Neuroscience:
MCDB 721Lau, Laboratory for Neurobiology. Haig Keshishian, Robert Wyman.
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