Pre-Doctoral Training in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience

描述（由申请人提供）：本修订后的提案要求继续资助德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校神经科学研究所（INS）已建立的神经科学研究生培训计划。随着神经生物学、心理学、药理学和毒理学、计算机科学、生物医学工程、运动机修学、通信科学与疾病、营养学等学科的新主任和众多教员的加入，该项目得到了长足的发展。教师还在卓越中心（中心）任职，包括：学习和记忆中心，感知系统中心，细胞和分子生物学研究所，Waggoner酒精和成瘾研究中心，成像研究中心和计算可视化中心。主要研究方向包括分子、生物化学、生理和电生理、计算神经科学、行为学、神经行为学和神经系统进化。所有培训学院都有大量资金，为研究生提供广泛的选择，在合作实验室中进行跨学科研究培训。每年申请资助3名新的博士预科学员，每人资助两年（每年共6人）。学生需要完成以下内容：实验室研究轮转和基于该工作的演讲研讨会，两门核心神经科学课程，一门负责任的科学/伦理行为课程，一门实验设计和统计课程，以及四门选修课程，包括疾病神经生物学课程。学生在第二年开始时加入一个研究实验室，并在第二年结束时完成课程和资格考试。研究生必须参加神经科学系列研讨会和专业期刊俱乐部。我们计划继续成功招收少数民族学生。总之，这个项目在感知系统的神经生物学，学习和记忆，以及成瘾研究方面具有特别的优势，并且在从计算到细胞方法等领域也提供了极好的机会。这种广泛的跨学科培训将为我们的学员在多个层面上进行神经科学研究做好准备，这对发现脑部疾病的原因和治疗非常重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This revised proposal requests continued funding of an established graduate training program in neuroscience at the Institute for Neuroscience (INS) at the University of Texas at Austin. This program has grown substantially, with addition of a new director and numerous faculty members in Neurobiology, Psychology, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Kinesiology, Communication Sciences & Disorders, and Nutrition. Faculty also have appointments in Centers of Excellence (Center) including: Center for Learning and Memory, Center for Perceptual Systems, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Research, Imaging Research Center and Computational Visualization Ctr. Research interests span molecular, biochemical, physiological and electrophysiological, computational neuroscience, behavior, Neuro-ethology and evolution of the nervous system. All training faculty have substantial funding giving graduate student's broad options for training in cross-disciplinary research among collaborating laboratories. Funding is requested for three new pre-doctoral trainees per year, each are funded for two years (totaling 6 per year). Students are required to complete the following: laboratory research rotations and present seminars based on that work, two core neuroscience courses, a responsible conduct of science/ethics course, a course on experimental design and statistics, and four electives including a neurobiology of disease course. Students join a research lab by the beginning of year two and complete coursework and qualifying exams by the end of year two. Graduate students are required to participate in Neuroscience seminar series and specialized journal clubs. We plan to continue successful recruitments of minority students. In summary, this program has particular strengths in the neurobiology of perceptual systems, learning and memory, and addiction research, and also provides excellent opportunities in areas ranging from computational to cellular approaches. This broad interdisciplinary training provided will prepare our trainees for research in neuroscience at multiple levels which are of great importance to discovering causes and treatments for brain diseases. RELEVANCE (See instructions): The major health problems in the US are brain diseases, including Alzheimer's, Schizophrenia, Alcoholism, Drug Addiction, Depression and Bipolar Disorders, yet our incomplete understanding of the neurobiology of these conditions provides for few effective treatments. The goal of this proposal is to provide state-of-the-art training for the next generation of neuroscientists who will help to solve these health problems.