Yale Psychology: Behavioral Neuroscience Area

A course of study in Behavioral Neuroscience emphasizes an understanding of the basic mechanisms of behavior through the knowledge of their physiological substrates, and an appreciation of their varying or similar forms in different organisms. A major concentration of faculty interest is in the psychobiology of learning and memory. Approaches to this general question include abstract theoretical models (e.g., in animal learning), integrative physiological investigation (e.g., in the role of specific neural structures, such as the cerebellum and brain stem nuclei, in learning), cellular and biophysical analyses in simple systems (e.g., in invertebrate animals and hippocampal slice), and computational approaches (e.g., utilizing models of adaptive neural networks). Other current foci of faculty interest are in the neural bases of cognition, motivational processes, and psychopharmacology.

Training in Behavioral Neuroscience is generally integrated with study in related areas within the Psychology Department and enriched by affiliation with other Yale departments and associated research centers. For example, students with a special interest in the learning process may avail themselves of the extensive course offerings in human memory and information processing in the Psychology Department. Students may also pursue relevant courses and research experience with cooperating faculty in the Yale Neuroscience Program. This program represents a cooperative effort among the following academic units: Anesthesiology, Biology, Cell Biology, Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Computer Science, Genetics, Neurobiology, Neuroendocrinology, Neurology, Neuropathology, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Pediatrics and Respiratory Medicine, Pharmacology, Psychiatry, Psychology, and Surgery. The Neuroscience Program admits its own Ph.D. ca! ndidates, but graduate students for a Psychology Ph.D. are able to participate in any of the course offerings available in the Neuroscience Program. Additional course or research opportunities are available from the John B. Pierce Foundation, the West Haven VA Medical Center, and the Department of Psychiatry. All Behavioral Neuroscience faculty and graduate students, occasionally joined by visiting scholars, meet weekly to discuss current and ongoing research.