General Motor Control Mechanisms and Disease Training Program

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PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The ability to initiate, execute, and terminate movement effectively is critical for survival but is impaired in a range of debilitating diseases. Precisely how the nervous system encodes movement and how this neural machinery is compromised by disease remain poorly understood. A primary mission of the neuroscience community is to fill these gaps in our knowledge and translate this new information into better clinical practice. To carry this multi-generational effort forward, it is critical that early career scientists are well- trained. They need a firm grasp of what we know and don't know, experimental skills at the molecular, cellular, and systems levels, and dedication to rigorous, quantitative, and ethical research. With these goals in mind, a group of 30 world-leading basic, clinical and translational motor control scientists have come together under the directorship of Dr. D. James Surmeier to deliver a training program for pre- and post- doctoral scientists committed to motor control research at Northwestern University (NU). The goals of the NU General Motor Control Mechanisms and Disease Training Program (GMCMD-TP) are: 1) to educate trainees in basic, translational, and clinical motor systems neuroscience at the molecular, cellular, and systems levels; 2) to provide trainees with the conceptual, technical, and quantitative skillsets necessary to address major questions, challenge dogma and make impactful research discoveries; 3) to encourage trainees to consider the disease relevance of their research and its translational potential; 4) to instill in trainees a deep commitment to rigorous, ethical, and responsible research; 5) to enhance trainees' skills in communicating their research; 6) to give trainees opportunities to advance their career goals so that we support the next generation of leaders in the field of motor control. Pre-doctoral trainees in the NU Interdepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN) program and the Neural Engineering track of the Biomedical Engineering program, and post-doctoral trainees in the laboratories of program faculty are eligible for the GMCMD-TP. The GMCMD-TP consists of: 1) a core course covering each aspect of the motor system, entitled “The Neural Control of Movement”; 2) monthly seminars by preceptors on their motor control research programs; 3) training and consultation in statistics; 4) an annual retreat where all members of the NU motor control research community come together to communicate and discuss their research; 5) a movement disorders journal club for basic scientists and clinicians; 6) opportunities for shadowing movement disorder clinicians; 7) several annual research center days, each focused on a specific motor control disease. In addition, GMCMD-TP trainees utilize Individual Development Plans and NU professional development programs to further promote career advancement. Each year up to 4 pre-doctoral and 3 post- doctoral trainees will be eligible for direct support for 1-2 years. Trainees in GMCMD-TP labs who do not receive direct support are offered the same training.