Description
 To meet the need for research scientists with broad backgrounds in neuroscience, the College offers the interdepartmental neuroscience program leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees.
One of the few programs of its kind in the area, it gives students an opportunity to gain interdisciplinary research training. Participating faculty include members of the departments of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Pharmacology and Physiology, and Neurology.
The program provides a core curriculum of integrated courses related to the neurosciences. In addition, elective courses are aimed at helping students amplify and add specialization to their educational experience.
The Ph.D. program trains individuals to conduct independent research and to teach in the neurosciences. The program includes two years of coursework followed by original research leading to a thesis. Laboratory rotations begin in the fall of the first year.
The M.S. program gives students a broad background in neuroscience and the techniques used in neuroscience research. A master's thesis based on a laboratory research project is a requirement for the degree.
Students who wish to continue their graduate training after the M.S. degree may apply to the Ph.D. program, and their credits may be applied to the doctoral program. On completing these programs, students pursue careers in academic, governmental, or industrial settings.
More information on the Neuroengineering track.
Program Guidelines
 All students must successfully complete the core curriculum before advancing to the specific program requirements for their degree.
The first year consists of core courses and one or two of three required research laboratory rotations. Each three-month-long rotation is spent in a different laboratory so you can gain exposure to diverse techniques and approaches. During the second year, you will complete core courses, select elective courses, and begin your thesis research in consultation with the Advisory-Examination Committee. At the end of the second year, you will take a comprehensive examination to qualify for Ph.D. candidacy.
During the third year, students develop a plan for their doctoral research in conjunction with their thesis advisor. A formal, written thesis proposal is then presented to the student’s Thesis Advisory Committee. Acceptance of this proposal after oral examination by the Committee leads to the final stage of doctoral training.
Ph.D. candidates then spend the majority of their time on thesis research. After concluding their research, they must submit and publicly defend their thesis before the Thesis-Examination Committee.
Required Courses for Program:
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NEUR-501
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Neuroscience 1st Laboratory Rotation
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NEUR-502
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Neuroscience 2nd Laboratory Rotation
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NEUR-503
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Neuroscience 3rd Laboratory Rotation
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NEUR-508
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Neurocience Principles and Techniques
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NEUR-608
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Advanced Neuroscience
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Neurobiology Topics
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ANAT-602
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Medical Neuroscience
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PHRM-507
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Neuropharmacology
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Neuroscience Thesis Research
Statistics for Neuro/Pharm Researchers
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Required Electives (Choose one out of the three):
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NEUR-511
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Advanced Cellular and Developmental Neuroscience
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NEUR-512
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Advanced Cellular and Systems Neurophysiology
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NEUR-634
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Motor Systems
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Electives:
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PHRM-502
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Current Topics in Pharmacology & Physiology
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PHRM-506
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Principles in Pharmacology & Physiology
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PHRM-512
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Graduate Pharmacology
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PHYS-503
MCBG-506
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Graduate Physiology
Advanced Cell Biology
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Required Courses for Biomedical Graduate Studies:
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IDPT-500
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Scientific Integrity
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Faculty
Areas of Research
 Spinal Cord and Brain Injury: For more than 25 years, there has been a vibrant research program addressing the mechanisms of recovery from spinal cord injury supported by a program project grant from the NIH and other national and international agencies. Specific research interests of this group include studies of axonal regeneration, mechanisms of neuronal death, and identification of strategies that promote recovery of motor and sensory functions.
Pioneering studies have demonstrated that tissue and cellular transplants can stimulate axon growth, protect injured neurons from death and atrophy, and improve function. Transplantation strategies that are now being developed are focused on grafting neural and bone marrow stem cells that can be derived from patients to potentially replace damaged tissue. Physiological and bioengineering experiments are identifying the spinal and supraspinal mechanisms that support the recovered functions. Rehabilitative therapies are combined with both pharmacological and transplantation techniques to enhance activity-dependent mechanisms to further improve specific motor functions. Other studies are ongoing that concentrate on traumatic brain injury focusing on how to minimize the expansion of acute damage and develop interventions that restore cognitive function. For translation of these findings, a diverse group of clinical and basic scientists are collaborating to develop effective approaches to the evaluation and treatment of patients with spinal or brain injury. This multidisciplinary collaborative group is supported by core facilities for surgery, histology, imaging, and behavior.
Program faculty include:
Cellular Neurosciences: This research program seeks to understand the mechanisms that regulate the structure of the neuron and its differentiation, various aspects of signal transduction within the nervous system, and the cellular basis of neurological disorders. One area of interest is the neuronal cytoskeleton, which is critical for establishing the internal architecture of axons, dendrites, and growth cones. In particular, studies are underway to understand the mechanisms that establish distinct patterns of microtubule and actin organization within different regions of the neuron. Translational studies are aimed at understanding how cytoskeletal abnormalities contribute to diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's and traumatic brain injury. Another area of interest is the pathways by which axons navigate and form neuromuscular junctions and their correlation to diseases such as muscular dystrophy and several forms of congenital birth defects.
Other areas of study include the intracellular mechanisms that regulate neuronal survival following brain injury, regulation of synaptic transmission by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, trafficking of neurotransmitter receptors in development and mental disorders such as schizophrenia, the role of protein nitration in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease and traumatic brain injury, and, the effects of beta amyloid in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease. The neuroimmunologists in this program are seeking to better understand the neuropathogenesis of immunological disorders such as HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis. Investigators are using a variety of contemporary biochemical, molecular, and computer-assisted imaging techniques to study cellular mechanisms in both in vitro and in vivo systems. This program is supported by state-of-the-art core facilities which include spectral confocal microscopy, electron microscopy, live-cell imaging, and optical tweezing.
Program faculty include:
Peter Baas, Ph.D.
Mark Black, Ph.D.
Timothy Cunningham, Ph.D.
Gianluca Gallo, Ph.D.
Joel Horwitz, Ph.D.
Christos Katsetos, M.D., Ph.D., FRCPath
Olimpia Meucci, M.D., Ph.D.
Ramesh Raghupathi, Ph.D.
Young-Jin Son, Ph.D.
Brian Wigdahl, Ph.D.
Behavioral Neurobiology: The Systems and Behavioral Neurobiology group consists of faculty from a variety of disciplines whose fundamental goal is to understand the biological basis of behavior. Given the complexity of the brain's structure and function, a highly integrated strategy is required to make advances in basic and clinical behavioral neurosciences. Researchers in this multidisciplinary group employ an array of modern neurochemical, electrophysiological, neuroanatomical, computer modeling and behavioral assays to investigate primary mechanisms of normal brain function and their application to neurological and psychiatric disorders. Specific areas of interest include learning and memory, regulation of food intake, modulation of sensory signal processing, drug addiction, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, depression, autism, and schizophrenia. There is a strong on-going collaboration among various investigators in the College of Medicine and other schools and colleges at Drexel.
Program faculty include:
 Neuroengineering: Faculty at the College of Medicine and the School of Biomedical Engineering are emerging as leaders in this rapidly growing, highly interdisciplinary field. The unique strengths of this research group are the significant expertise in basic neurosciences and computational modeling and development of spinal motor prostheses, cortical motor/sensory prostheses, neurorobotics, and enhanced neuroimaging techniques. A component of this program combines novel neuroprosthetic techniques with intraspinal, basal ganglia and cortical prostheses, and therapeutic approaches to brain and spinal cord injury and rehabilitation. Use of caged molecules and photolytic methods are being actively developed for a range of applications. The neuroprosthetic approaches used are also relevant to studies involving deep brain stimulation. Neuroinformatic capabilities in this group are unique in that they combine traditional bioinformatic tools with neuroimaging methods that go beyond spatial data management and towards automated data collection. This approach is particularly important for design and analysis of complex brain maps. Similarly, the use of neurorobotics and brain-machine interfaces integrated with spinal cord injury models is one of the few in the country combining expertise in neural control of movement at the level of basic science and computational models of the spinal cord with robotics acting directly upon the skeleton. In addition, investigators in this group are developing a program in neuropharmaceutical engineering, which uses a revolutionary method to identify how chemical states in the brain control behavior. This neuropharmaceutical approach has applications to Parkinson's disease, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, and sleep disorders.
Program faculty include:
Motor Systems: How does a dragonfly hover on the breeze, a frog catch a fly, a batter hit a home run or a gymnast flip on a narrow beam? Motor acts are ultimately the way that animals and people act in the world and express their cognitive, perceptual and reflexive neural processes. Understanding the motor basis of behavior requires an attention to basic physics, biomechanics, muscle and nerve physiology, neural networks, control theory principles and optimal control ideas. At Drexel University College of Medicine the following labs are engaged in this challenging effort:
Simon Giszter, Ph.D. Motor modularity and Motor primitives in the spinal cord. Trunk control in normal locomotion and in spinal cord injured rats. Brain machine interfaces.
Michel Lemay, Ph.D. Locomotor function, reflex assistance and recovery of function after spinal transection in animal models. Neural prostheses.
Ilya Rybak, Ph.D. Modeling of neural circuits supporting pattern generation and biomechanics in locomotion and respiration. Models of hybrid systems.
Applying for AdmissionStudents interested in all aspects of cellular and systems neuroscience are encouraged to apply. There are no minimal requirements but applicants should be competitive with regard to grades, GRE scores, research experience, and letters of recommendation. Applicants are encouraged to use email to contact any of the faculty of the program with whom they may share scientific interests to discuss their suitability to the program and/or potential projects in relevant laboratories. Technical questions about the application process should be directed to Tracey Bracale.
Contact Information
 Peter W. Baas, Ph.D.
Program Director, Neuroscience Graduate Program
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy
Drexel University College of Medicine
2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129
Tel :(215) 991-8298
Fax: (215) 843-9082
Email : pbaas@drexelmed.edu
URL: http://neurobio.drexelmed.edu/baasweb
OR
 Tracey Bracale
Program Administrator
Biomedical Graduate Studies Programs
Drexel University College of Medicine
2900 Queen Lane, G24
Philadelphia, PA 19129
Tel: Toll Free (within US): 215-991-8157
Tel: (outside US): 1-866-6BIOMED (1-866-624-6633)
Fax: 215-843-5810
E-mail: tbracale@drexelmed.edu
2900 Queen Lane, G24
Philadelphia, PA 19129
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