This application is to continue the Postdoctoral Program in the Neurosciences at the Molecular Cellular, and Systems levels at the California Institute of Technology. This program is in its 20th year and has been highly successful in training a generation of Neuroscientists. The program involves 22 faculty members whose main research area is Neuroscience. Two new Neurobiology faculty members were appointed during the last period of the grant. Due to the tremendous growth in neuroscience research at Caltech, we are requesting an increase in the level of the program to fund six trainees per year rather than the four of the past. Topics of training in the program include 1) sensory systems including the auditory, visual and olfactory systems, 2) sensory-motor integration, 3) the cellular and molecular basis of synaptic transmission, 4) neural mechanisms of learning and plasticity, 5) neural development, cell lineage and differentiation, 6) theoretical neurobiology and computational modeling of neural systems and 7) reward systems. Additional and new directions of the program include 1) application of molecular techniques to understanding behavior, 2) translational research with medical relevance, and 3) theoretical neurobiology, 4) brain imaging across species including humans, non-human primates, and rodents, and 5) neurophysiological studies of neural populations using multicellular recordings. These studies will lead to the understanding and translation of research toward developing cures for a variety of neurological diseases including Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinsonism, learning disabilities, aging, vision and hearing deficits, paralysis, strokes, and drug and alcohol dependency. The primary mission is to train scientists for fruitful, successful careers in neurobiological research. Trainees hold Ph.D. or M.D. degrees and have daily contact with the research sponsor. The duration of the training period is usually two years with occasional extensions to three years when warranted. Research related activities such as seminars, journal clubs, and collaborative research through the CNS Program, the Sloan-Swartz Center, the Broad Fellows Program, Information Science and Technology, and the Beckman Institute afford a rich training experience. Also included in the program will be instruction in responsible conduct of research. Special efforts will be made to attract more minority trainees to the program through several approaches at all levels of education. These efforts include extensive involvement of the faculty in recruitment. In the current group of eligible postdoctoral fellows associated with the training faculty 13.5% are from underrepresented minorities. The neuroscience laboratories are well equipped and occupy six buildings on the Caltech campus. There are many special resources available to the postdoctoral trainees which include facilities for monoclonal antibody production, transgenic mice study, MRI and optical imaging, primate behavior and electrophysiology, equipment fabrication, computer modeling, electronic circuit design and manufacture, electron microscopy, synthesis and sequencing of proteins and genes, cell sorting, cell culture, and cell electrophysiology. ?
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