EDUCATION

The Neuroscience Institute at the Medical University of South Carolina is an interdisciplinary group of biomedical scientists representing nearly all departments in the College of Medicine. The Neuroscience Institute draws on the research and teaching expertise of over 40 faculty, whose laboratories are conveniently located near each other in the College of Medicine.

The primary purpose of the center is to facilitate and coordinate interdisciplinary research efforts in the neurosciences, as well as coordinate graduate education in the neuroscience track for a Ph.D. in Physiology & Neuroscience. Entailed in this enterprise is a seminar series, neuroscience colloquia and a rich graduate curriculum in the neurosciences and molecular/cellular biology.

Understanding how the brain functions is truly a frontier in human scientific aspirations. Over the next few decades, we can expect not only to develop a deep understanding of how the brain functions at a molecular level, but how these cellular functions integrate to form the basis of human behavior, personality, and consciousness.

Neuroscience research at MUSC is nationally and internationally recognized in many aspects of the field, ranging from molecular and cellular neuroscience to clinical neuroscience. Strong emphasis is placed on new combinations of ideas and techniques, for example the application of new developments in basic neuroscience to clinical problems; the use of molecular techniques to solve problems in cellular and integrative neuroscience; and the development of novel cellular and animal models of neurological and psychiatric illness.

Among the highest profile research endeavors are those in the molecular biology of sensory processing, cell signaling and spinal cord function, and understanding the molecular basis and neural plasticity in addiction to drugs of abuse. These strong research foci are coupled to equally strong clinical research llaborations.

The Graduate Program in Neuroscience is designed to encourage close student-faculty relationships. Students are responsible for taking a major role in decisions that impact the education that they receive. Our goal is to educate students for careers in neuroscience research and teaching. Students completing this Program will be able to address both traditional and novel questions in neuroscience, armed with contemporary concepts and techniques. Now is a particularly exciting time for graduate study in neuroscience at MUSC.

The College of Medicine has established neuroscience as a top priority. New buildings are currently under construction and many new neuroscience faculty have been recently added and will be hired over the next few years.