? ? The objective of this proposal is to provide postdoctoral training in all areas of neuroscience to 8 highly talented and motivated trainees/year in a broadly based, interdisciplinary training program involving 23 faculty from 5 academic departments. Trainees will be selected from an applicant pool with recent Ph.Ds., M.D.s., or MD/PhDs. Trainees will be supported for the first one or two years after their arrival at Brandeis University. Through a combination of mentored research experiences coupled with participation in seminars, journal clubs, and other training activities, the postdoctoral trainees will learn to do high quality research relevant to understanding the brain in normal individuals and in those with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Research topics range from the structure and function of single ion channels to human cognitive function. Some of the training opportunities are in laboratories that are already studying human neurological disorders such as aphasia. Other training opportunities will involve studies of the biochemistry of proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's' disease. Still other research projects will use animal models of other neurological or psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia or autism. While many trainees will do basic research on neuronal circuits, the development of the nervous system, synaptic transmission and learning mechanisms, all trainees will be encouraged to explore the connections between basic neuroscience and clinical implications. Strengths of the Brandeis University community include human cognitive function, neurogenetics, circadian rhythms, the roles of oscillations in sensory and motor function, understanding circuit dynamics, and the molecular underpinnings of behavior. ? ? Relevance to public health. We will train a new generation of neuroscientists to apply fundamental findings from basic science to future understanding of human neurological diseases and mental illnesses. Studies on language, memory, vision and movement in normal, elderly and ill humans will be complemented by animal studies on underlying mechanisms relevant to human disorders. Our focus on the links between basic neuroscience and neurological and psychiatric disease have recently been strengthened with new course offerings in """"""""Autism,"""""""" and """"""""The Neurobiology of Disease,"""""""" and with the establishment of formal links and collaborative ties between Brandeis and neighboring hospitals and medical schools. ? ? ?
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