Neuroscience

The Division of Neuroscience conducts research aimed at identifying and defining fundamental aspects of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system function. The guiding principle of these research efforts is the concept that our nonhuman primate resource can be best utilized by implementing a "vertical integration" approach in which studies are first conducted in laboratory animals, before selecting critical issues that require the participation of nonhuman primates.

A major focus of the Division is on Developmental Neuroendocrinology/Neurodevelopment, with programs aimed at identifying the early roots of metabolic syndrome/obesity and diabetes, the developmental underpinnings of neurodegeneration and neural cell function, and the genomic mechanisms controlling sexual development. By focusing on selected aspects of the neurobiology of aging and associated disorders, other programs seek to define the mechanisms responsible for the developmental regression of brain function. Research is conducted to unravel the cellular processes responsible for the age-related decline in cognitive function and the loss of biological rhythms, and to define the molecular bases of neurodegenerative diseases. Additional programs add diversity and strength to this investigative core by focusing on the neurobiology of mental illness, complex behaviors, and addiction. Efforts to develop unique primate models for the understanding of selected human diseases of the nervous system, and to generate tools for therapeutic intervention, continue to be major long-term goals of the Division.

A significant number of research programs employ genetic approaches and genetic models for the understanding of nervous system function. The completion of the human genome project is exerting a major impact on the Division's investigative activities, as a variety of genomics tools, bioinformatics strategies, and systems biology approaches are now available to our researchers via both ONPRC-supported resources and OHSU-based genomics facilities.

In addition to its heavy involvement in biomedical research, the Division of Neuroscience provides specialized training to graduate students, postdoctoral research fellows, and visiting scientists. Its faculty members hold appointments in, and actively contribute to, the two main OHSU Graduate Programs, namely, Neuroscience and the Program in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences. Finally, the Division serves as a regional, national and international resource for integrative neuroscience research because of its unique capabilities to conceptually and experimentally link neural functions of evolutionary less advanced mammalian species with those particular to nonhuman and human primates.

See a list of scientists in the Division of Neuroscience