G-NEUR-PHD - Neurobiology - PhD

At a time when many questions in biology have been eloquently answered, both scientists and the public correctly perceive that the brain remains, in fundamental ways, a profound mystery. During the last century tremendous advances have been made in understanding the structure, function, chemistry, and development of the brain. Nonetheless, in both biology and medicine, broad and important questions about this complex organ remain to be answered. These include how genetic instructions are linked to brain development, the basis of learning and memory, the nature of consciousness, and the etiology and proper treatment of neurological diseases such as epilepsy, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.

Neurobiologists approach the questions of how the brain works with techniques that are diverse, and generally reductionist. Pre- eminent are a host of sophisticated imaging and electrophysiological methods for detecting the activity of individual nerve cells or groups of nerve cells, extremely novel applications of the techniques of molecular biology and molecular genetics, and a wealth of anatomical methods for seeing the structure and connections of nerve cells. Noninvasive means of recording activity in the human nervous system—by functional nuclear magnetic resonance (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), or activity-related magnetic fields—also hold great promise for better understanding the brain. Still, progress in neurobiology—much as progress in any science—will depend on important insights arising from the imagination of neuroscientists who think deeply about these issues.

Neuroscience at Duke is pursued in a variety of departments and setting, all of which are possible sites for students who wish to be trained in this field. The Graduate Training Program has its home in the Department of Neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, and includes forty-six training faculty with primary appointments in fifteen different departments in the School of Medicine, the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences, and the Pratt School of Engineering. A large and diverse body of students and other professionals are also engaged in neurobiological research.

For additional information, visit neuro.duke.edu/education/graduate-training-program/overview.