Neuroscience
Research and education in the Neuroscience concentration in the Medical Sciences PhD Program is focused on interdisciplinary approaches to the study of nervous system and related disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, stroke, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression and drug addiction. Training will include a unique interdisciplinary blend of didactic coursework, journal clubs, seminar series, as well as significant research experience.
Courses
The curriculum for the PhD in Medical Sciences can be found in the Graduate Catalog. A sample of courses offered within the Neuroscience concentration is listed below.
- Basic Medical Neuroscience
- Advanced Neuroscience
- Neuropharmacology
- Neuroimmunology
- Advanced Neuroanatomy
- Stem Cells and Brain Repair
- Aging & Neuroscience
Faculty & Research
Current research interests include:
- Alcohol and substance use disorders
- Alzheimer's disease
- Neurobiology of aging
- Computational neuroscience
- Hyperbaric neurophysiology
- Gene and stem cell therapies for neurodegenerative disease
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms of CNS oxygen toxicity
- Neural plasticity with neurodegenerative disease and after brain injury
Learn more about our faculty, students, and their research interests below.
Current Faculty & StudentsAffiliated Institutes & Facilities
Concentration Spotlights
Awards
- Danielle Blazier & Marilyn Ikhane - Edith Wright Hartley Scholarship, 2023
- Teresa Kee - Japan Neuroscience Society Meeting Travel Award, 2023
Recent Publications
- Kang M, Nirwane A, Ruan J, Adithan A, Gray M, Xu L, Yao Y. A dispensable role of oligodendrocyte-derived laminin-α5 in brain homeostasis and intracerebral hemorrhage. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2024 Apr;44(4):611-623. doi: 10.1177/0271678X241228058. Epub 2024 Jan 19. PMID: 38241459; PMCID: PMC10981398.
- Martinez TE, Mayilsamy K, Mohapatra SS, Mohapatra S. Modulation of Paracellular Permeability in SARS-CoV-2 Blood-to-Brain Transcytosis. Viruses. 2024 May 15;16(5):785. doi: 10.3390/v16050785. PMID: 38793666; PMCID: PMC11126142.
- McMillan IO, Gearing M, Wang L. Vascular Heparan Sulfate and Amyloid-β in Alzheimer's Disease Patients. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Apr 2;25(7):3964. doi: 10.3390/ijms25073964. PMID: 38612775; PMCID: PMC11012074.
More Information
For information about the Medical Sciences PhD Program, contact 813-974-2836 or biomedphd@usf.edu.
Apply NowPlease note, students do not apply directly to a concentration. Interested students should submit an application for the PhD in Medical Sciences. Concentrations are typically selected during the first year of study.