Neurosciences

Overview

The Neurosciences Concentration at North Carolina State University is designed to prepare students for professional research and teaching careers in the area of neurobiology and to address animal and human health problems associated with the nervous system. Course work and laboratory research in the Neurosciences concentration emphasize studies on brain and behavior that span the range of molecular, cellular, tissue, and physiological aspects of the developing, adult, and aging central and peripheral nervous systems. Our faculty are spread across the university including the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Sciences, Engineering, and Agriculture and Life Sciences. Faculty are highly collaborative with expertise in developmental neurobiology, electrophysiology, neuroendocrinology, neurotoxicology, neurogenetics, and behavioral biology in both vertebrate and invertebrate model organisms. Ample collaborations exist with laboratories at UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, and agencies within the Research Triangle Park. As a land-grant university North Carolina State University provides a unique biomedical research environment, which is enhanced through seminars, symposia, and interactive workshops. Graduate research assistantships are available to qualified students who are successfully admitted to the CBS graduate program. Neurosciences graduates are well positioned to compete for positions in universities, pharmaceutical companies, and governmental institutions.

For more information about our program please visit: https://research.ncsu.edu/neurosciences/

COURSES REQUIRED FOR THE PHD NEUROSCIENCES CONCENTRATION

• CBS/BIO 705 Fundamentals of Neuroscience; Fall (3 credits)
• CBS/BIO 805 Special Topics in Neuroscience; Spring (1 credit, minimum 3 credits total for doctoral students; minimum 2 credits total for master’s students)

ELECTIVE COURSES

Elective courses are selected by the student and mentor, and must be approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee. Possible elective course include, but are not limited to, the following:

BIOCHEMISTRY

BCH 701 Macromolecular Structure; Fall (3 credits)

BCH 703 Macromolecular Synthesis and Regulation; Fall (3 credits)

MICROBIOLOGY AND IMMUNOLOGY

MB 714 Microbial Metabolic Regulation; Fall (3 credits)

MB 718 Introductory Virology; Fall alternate odd years (3 credits)

MB/IMM 751 Immunology; Spring (3 credits)

IMM/TOX 705 Immunotoxicology; Spring (2 credits)

IMM/CBS 755 Immunoparasitology; Spring alternate years (2 credits)

IMM/PO 757 Comparative Immunology; Spring alternate odd years (3 credits)

IMM/CBS/MB 783 Adv. Immunology; Fall alternate years (3 credits)

IMM/CBS 816 Adv. Topics in Immunology; Fall and Spring (1 credits)

COMPARATIVE BIOMDEICAL SCIENCES

CBS 770 Cell Biology; Spring (3 credits)

CBS 771 Cancer Biology; Fall (4 credits)

CBS 774 Epidemiol. of Inf. Dis. of International Importance; Fall alternate years

MOLECULAR AND CELL BIOLOGY

GN 701 Molecular Genetics; Fall (3 credits)

GN 702 Cellular and Developmental Genetics; Spring (3 credits)

GN 750 Developmental Genetics; Spring alternate years (3 credits)

GN/ST 756 Computations Molecular Evolution; Fall alternate years (3 credits)

GN/MB 758 Microbial Genetics & Genomics; Spring (3 credits)

GN/BCH 761 Adv. Molecular Biology of the Cell; Spring alternate years (3 credits)

GN/BCH 768 Nucleic Acids: Structure and Function; Spring alternate years (3 credits)

GN 810-xxx Special Topics in Genetics; Fall and Spring (1-6 credits)

BCH 705 Molecular Biology of the Cell; Spring (3 credits)

STATISTICS

ST 501 Fundamentals of Statistical Inference I; Fall & Summer (3 credits)

ST 701 Statistical Theory I; Fall (3 credits)

TECHNIQUES

BIT 815 Advanced Topics In Biotechnology; Summer (1-6 credits)

Participating Faculty

Name	Email	Primary Concentration	Other Concentrations	Research Emphasis
Adriana San-Miguel	asanmiguel@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Study the aging nervous system using C. elegans and high-throughput high-content imaging platforms
Albert Keung	ajkeung@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Synthetic Biology; Neural and Stem Cell Engineering, Bioengineering
Alper Bozkurt	alper.bozkurt@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Bioelectronics Engineering (Including Bioinstrumentation, Biomechatronics, Biomimetic Systems)
Antonio Planchart	ajplanch@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and other neuromuscular defects in the zebrafish model
Casey Nestor	ccnestor@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Neuroendocrinology underlying the link between reproduction and energy homeostasis for puberty onset, steroid negative feedback, and food intake in sheep
Christopher Mariani	clmarian@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences	Immunology	Comparative neuroimmunology and neuro-oncology
Coby Schal	coby@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Urban Entomology, Insect Behavior, Chemical Ecology, Insect Physiology
David Dorman	david_dorman@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences	Pharmacology	My research interests include neurotoxicology and cognition and olfaction in animals
David Lalush	david_lalush@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Biomedical Imaging
Duncan Lascelles	dxlascel@ncsu.edu	Cell Biology	Neurosciences	Measurement and neurobiology of pain in induced and naturally occurring animal models
Elizabeth Lucas	elucas2@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences	Cell Biology	Cell, circuit, and neuroendocrine basis of affective and memory disorders.
Emilie Rissman	e_rissman@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		How estrogens modulate sex differences in the brain and behavior
He (Helen) Huang	hhuang11@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Neural-machine interface, wearer-robot interaction, prosthetics and exoskeleton, human-machine symbiosis, rehabilitation engineering
Heather Patisaul	hbpatisa@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) alter neuroendocrine pathways in the brain related to sex specific physiology and behavior
Javier Lopez Soto	ejlopezs@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences	Cell Biology	Neurosciences and Cell Biology
John Godwin	john_godwin@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Bioinformatics; Functional Genomics; Genetics; Integrative Physiology, Neuroscience & Behavior
John Meitzen	jemeitze@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Consequences of hormones and biological sex on striatal neurons
Jun Ninomiya-Tsuji	jun_tsuji@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Elucidation of the mechanisms of how TAK1 signaling regulates ROS and tissue homeostasis
Karen Munana	krmunana@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Canine epilepsy- with focus on causes of refractory (poorly controlled) epilepsy and development of more effective treatments for dogs with seizures
Kurt Marsden	kcmarsde@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		The Marsden Lab works to define links between genes and environmental factors, neural circuits, and behavior to better understand neurological disease.
Laurianne Van Landeghem	lcvanlan@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences	Cell Biology	My lab explores how cues emanating from the microenvironment regulate intestinal epithelial (stem) cells in health and diseases with a special emphasis on cells belonging to the enteric nervous system.
Leslie Sombers	lasomber@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Development of electroanalytical tools for monitoring neurochemicals in real time
Micheal Nolan	mwnolan@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences	Cell Biology	We study the intersection of cancer and pain.
Natasha Olby	njolby@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences	Cell Biology, Pathology	My laboratory focuses on neurological disease in companion dogs with areas of research encompassing aging of the nervous system and neurodegenerative disease, neuropathic pain, and spinal cord injury.
Patricia A. Estes	pat_estes@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Education and Public Outreach; Genetics; Integrative Physiology, Neuroscience & Behavior
Robert R.H. Anholt	anholt@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		Genetics; Toxicology & Environmental Health Sciences
Sabrina Robertson	sedought@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences	Cell Biology	Mapping the connections and functions of all neurons in the brain
Santosh Mishra	skmishra@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences		To understand the biological complexity of Itch and Pain sensations under normal and pathological conditions
Thierry Olivry	thierry_olivry@ncsu.edu	Cell Biology, Immunology, Infectious Diseases, Neurosciences		Investigating the pathogenesis and therapy of itch and atopic dermatitis in dogs
Troy Ghashghaei	troy_ghashghaei@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences	Cell Biology	Development and aging of the adult stem cells and their ependymal niche in the forebrain
Yevgeny Brudno	ybrudno@ncsu.edu	Neurosciences	Immunology, Pharmacology	Drug delivery to the brain and to cancer.