Neuroscience (GRAD)

The Neuroscience Curriculum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a broadly based interdisciplinary graduate training program in the neurosciences. With strong research funding and a long and successful training history, the curriculum ranks among the best programs in the country.

The program has more than 80 primary faculty members who can serve as dissertation advisors. Research opportunities in the curriculum are supported by the presence of an active neuroscience community at UNC–Chapel Hill. This community includes members of every basic science department in the School of Medicine, members of many clinical departments, as well as several departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. University research and clinical centers with a neuroscience component also contribute to the vibrant and active community that makes neurobiology a major intellectual focus at UNC–Chapel Hill.

The Neuroscience Curriculum enrolls an average of 45 students at different levels of training at any given time; typically, eight to twelve students are accepted each year depending on available funding. A portion of the students in the curriculum are supported during their first and/or second years by a long-standing training grant funded through NINDS, and in subsequent years by either their mentor's research grants or individual fellowships. The average time to graduation is 5.3 years.

Neuroscience is by its very nature an interdisciplinary endeavor, and at UNC–Chapel Hill the neuroscience curriculum provides a broadly structured training curriculum and research environment that spans the range from genetic studies of the nervous system through the complexities of human cognitive function.

Applicants are urged to complete their applications through BBSP around BBSP's deadline, which is typically in November.

Courses

Numbered 400-999:

• Neuroscience (NBIO)

Required and elective courses

Courses required for the Ph.D. degree in neuroscience include Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience (NBIO 722 Fall) and Systems and Translational Neuroscience (NBIO 723 Spring). Students are expected to enroll in both semesters of this course sequence.

The purpose of the course in Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience is to explore the experimental and theoretical basis for current concepts of nervous system function. The course runs as a series of three blocks in the fall semester and three blocks in the spring semester. This is NOT a survey course in neuroscience. The goals of the course are not so much to inform as to foster an understanding of how we accumulate our knowledge and hypotheses, not to provide a complete textbook picture of the functioning nervous system as we currently know it but to provide the intellectual tools and skills to evaluate current and future hypotheses, not so much to provide answers to questions as to attempt to define the unanswered questions.

Block 1 (NBIO 722 Fall) – Neuroscience Bootcamp: Introduction to Techniques Used in Studying the Nervous System/Electrical Signaling (~22 sessions)  Because students taking the core course have diverse backgrounds, this block is divided into two sections.

Block 1a – Neuroscience Bootcamp: Introduction to Techniques Used in Studying the Nervous System (~11 sessions). The first block serves as an introduction to neuroscience as well as an overview of many of the techniques students will encounter while reading materials and papers for the rest of the course. Examples of topics covered include statistics and hypothesis testing, molecular biology and genetic engineering, confocal microscopy, and functional anatomy of the rodent brain. Fall. Baldwin, Diering, S. Cohen, Ritola, Jensen, Itano, Yang, Brenman.¹    

Block 1b – Electrical Signaling (~10 sessions). This block introduces materials related to electrical excitability of neurons. Topics include ion channels, membrane potentials, generation and propagation of action potentials, dendritic excitability, and computational neuroscience as it relates to electrical signaling of neurons. Fall. Kasten.¹

Block 2 – Synaptic Mechanisms  (~11 sessions). This block focuses on synaptic mechanisms of neurotransmitter release and termination of signaling, as well as intracellular signaling cascades that are regulated by synaptic transmission. Topics include electrophysiological and molecular analysis of neurotransmitter release, short-term plasticity in neurotransmitter release, synaptic plasticity, calcium signaling and regulation of intracellular signaling cascades, and gene expression. Fall. Reissner¹, Downs, Song, Christoffel, Philpot, Dudek.

Block 3 – Receptors (~9 sessions). This block focuses on neurotransmitter signaling through distinct receptor subclasses. Topics include G-protein coupled receptors and associated signaling, receptor binding theory, ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate and GABA receptors, receptor trafficking and localization. Fall. Kash, Walsh, Diering, Rodríguez-Romaguera, Lischinsky, Scherrer¹.

Block 4 – Development of the Nervous System (NBIO 723 Spring) (~13 sessions).  This block focuses on molecular mechanisms of neuronal development and their relation to disease. Topics include neurogenesis, neural stem cells, molecular control of axonal guidance and neuronal migration, and cell and synaptic adhesions molecules. Spring. Anton, Baldwin, Gupton, Mealer, Snider, Deshmukh, Asrican, Stein, Shiau, Song¹, Stein.

Block 5 – Anatomy and Function of Sensory and Motor Systems  (~14 sessions). This block focuses on the neural circuitry that comprises sensory and motor systems. Topics include organization and function of the retina and visual cortex, mechanosensation, genetically defined circuits for nociception, organization and function of somatosensory cortex, motor cortex, basal ganglia neural circuitry, and cerebellar organization and function. Spring. Zylka,¹ Hige, Greenwald, Frohlich, Cheney, Kato, Cross, Albert, Shih.

Block 6 – Neurobiology of Disease (~12 sessions). This block focuses on the neurobiological underpinnings of disease. For each topic the disease and its impact on society is introduced, and then detailed discussions of the molecular, genetic underpinnings and circuit and behavioral consequences of the disorder are presented. Topics include epilepsy, addiction, fear and anxiety circuitry, schizophrenia, autism, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. This block also includes two classes devoted to human neuroimaging methods such at fMRI and DTI. Spring. Evangelista, Sklerov, Herman, Zylka, Shen, Wu, Dichter, Gilmore, T. Cohen¹.

¹

denotes the head of the block

Communication of Scientific Results Neurobiology (NBIO 850)
Also known as P Class, this course is focused on the principles for effective scientific communication. The major component is focused on developing and giving scientific talks. The course also covers how to introduce speakers, prepare slides, and speak with the public about science. Finally, a written component is focused on preparation of specific aims for fellowship and grant application. Tiffany Garbutt currently directs the course, with additional faculty participating. The class is limited to Neuroscience Curriculum students. Students prepare talks, refine them in small groups (3-4 students), and then present them in class. The in-class talk is videotaped, and these tapes are reviewed by the students in a session with their peers. After another round of refining with their small group, the students give their polished talks to the department in a formal setting. Writing is critiqued in class, with peers and guest faculty all offering input. Together, these components help the students develop their own effective speaking and writing methods, and prepare students for the next stage in their scientific careers. Fall. Garbutt, Scherrer.

Neuroanalytics (NBIO 750)
The purpose of this course is to provide both practical and theoretical training in advanced data analysis approaches commonly used in neuroscience research. Over the past 10 years there has been a dramatic shift within the field from relatively simple data analysis approaches such as calculating means and standard errors of grouped data, to now performing complex analysis on higher dimensional datasets to uncover unappreciated features. The material in this course should be immediately useful to any student who is working with modern data collected in neuroscience, from sequencing, electrophysiology, imaging, biochemistry, and behavior. The concepts in the course will be taught through programming in python. While understanding mathematical concepts behind analysis is important, we will largely focus on the big picture and try to illustrate concepts by emphasizing graphical representations of how datasets are treated with these approaches. Throughout the course, we will utilize real-world neuroscience data from a variety of sub-disciplines as examples, and also focus on teaching the implications and limitations of the approaches we cover. At the end of the course, students should have a solid foundation of scientific computing, which will prepare them to independently conduct analysis of their own data or prepare them for more advanced courses. Spring, even numbered years. Stein, Wu. **Students who receive NBIO T32 support are required to take Neuroanalytics NBIO 750 as one of their electives.

Neuroscience Seminar Series (NBIO 893)
Diverse but current topics in all aspects of neuroscience. Relates new techniques and current research of notables in the field of neuroscience. Content focuses on presentations by invited, non-UNC faculty and mini-series presentations from current neuroscience students. Topics vary from week to week. Students in the curriculum are expected to attend and participate in the neuroscience seminar series, and in particular year 2 and 3 students will be enrolled in NBIO 893 each semester, for which their attendance and participation in seminars and dissertation defenses is tracked and graded. Fall and spring. Brenman.

On the curriculum's website, the courses menu lists descriptions of the core courses of the neuroscience curriculum; other selected offerings are shown under the electives menu. Additional elective courses in biochemistry, statistics, molecular biology, physiology, etc., are available to compensate for specific deficiencies or enhance training. It is the current philosophy of the curriculum faculty that students should receive a broad exposure to as many aspects of neuroscience as reasonable, from molecules and genetics through systems, behavior, and human diseases of the nervous system.

The following is a partial list of courses that neuroscience students may consider for their elective requirements.

Scientific Grant Writing (CBPH706)

Advanced Microscopy (NBIO710)

Microscopy  (NBIO 731)

Special Topics in Neuroscience: The Methods in Genetic Engineering (NBIO 890-002)

Special Topics in Neuroscience: Network Neuroscience (NBIO 890-003)

Developmental Neuroscience (NBIO 724)

Translational Seminar in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience (NBIO 727)

Neural Information Processing (NBIO 729)

Neurodevelopmental Basis of Brain Disorders (NBIO 751)

Introductory Statistics for Laboratory Scientists (BBSP 710)

Gene Brain Behavior Interactions in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Towards an Integration of Perspectives on Disease Mechanisms (NBIO 800)

Clinical Syndromes and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NBIO 801)

Neurocircuits and Behavior Journal Club (NBIO 733)

Biological Bases of Behavior I (PSYC 701)

Biological Bases of Behavior II (PSYC 702)

Neuropharmacology of Alcohol and Substance Abuse (PHCO 728)

Principles of Statistics Infer (BIOS 600)

Research Ethics (GRAD 721)

Seminar in the Biological Foundations of Psychology (PSYC 708 )

Statistical Methods in Psychology (PSYC 830 )

Neuroscience, Ph.D.

The Neuroscience Curriculum (NBIO) stresses a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of the brain. There are more than 80 faculty members in 12 departments and 5 specialized research centers participate in this interdisciplinary program. The Curriculum facilitates communication between these neuroscientists across departmental barriers in order to:

• Provide PhD training that incorporates a broad interdisciplinary background.
• Provided opportunities for thesis work in laboratories representing the full spectrum of modern neuroscience research.
• Promote the very latest technical approaches.
• Facilitate collaborative, interdisciplinary and translational research.

We also encourage increased communication and interactions among neuroscientists at UNC and neighboring institutions (Duke University, North Carolina State University, National Institute of Environmental Health Service (NIEHS) and North Carolina Central University) by sponsoring seminars, symposia, journal clubs, and conferences. Finally, NBIO strongly supports and fosters the exposure to a broad range of potential careers through the (Training Initiatives in Biomedical and Biological Sciences) TIBBS Program. TIBBS and other career development programs offer information, seminars, workshops and individual guidance for all biomedical career options, including academic, government, pharmaceutical and scientific publishing.

Course Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Core Courses
NBIO 722	Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology	6
NBIO 723	Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology	6
NBIO 750	Neuroanalytics: Introduction to Big Data Science for Neuroscientists 1	4
NBIO 850	Improving Presentation & Communication of Scientific Results	2
NBIO 893	Neuroscience Seminar Series 2	4
BBSP 710	Biostatistics for Laboratory Scientists 3	2
CBPH 895	Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) 4	1
Electives
Students must complete at least two elective courses. Select from the elective course options below or any 500+ level STEM field course - usually 2 or more units. Check with DGS. 5		4+
Thesis/Substitute or Dissertation
NBIO 994	Doctoral Research and Dissertation 6	6
Minimum Hours		36

¹

This is only required for students on the T32 and counts as one of their electives.

²

This 1-credit course must be taken four times for a total credit of 4.

³

This course can be substituted with a higher level statistics or modeling course (advanced statistics/modeling/computer science substitute 700+; STOR/COMP 500+) - check with DGS when substituting.

⁴

Students should take CBPH 895 in the Fall of their fourth year.

⁵

Students on the T32 are required to take NBIO 750 which satisfies one of the elective requirements.

⁶

Students must take NBIO 994 twice for a minimum of 6 credit hours.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Neuroscience Elective Course Options
CBPH 706	Communicating Scientific Results	2
NBIO 710	Advanced Light Microscopy	3
NBIO 727	Translational Seminar in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience	2
NBIO 729	Sensory Neural Information Processing and Representation	3
NBIO 750	Neuroanalytics: Introduction to Big Data Science for Neuroscientists	4
NBIO 751	Neurodevelopmental Basis of Brain Disorders	2
NBIO 800	Gene-Brain-Behavior Interactions in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Perspectives on Disease Mechanisms	3
NBIO 801	Clinical Syndromes and Neurodevelopmental Disorders	3
NBIO 890	Special Topics in Neurobiology	2
PSYC 702	Brain & Behavior II	3
PSYC 708	Research Design and Statistics in Neuroscience	3
PSYC 830	Statistical Methods in Psychology I	4
PHCO 728	Neuropharmacology of Alcohol and Substance Use	3
PHCO 744	Topics on Stem Cells and Development	2
PHCO 750	Proteomics Methods and Applications	1
BIOS 600	Principles of Statistical Inference	3

Milestones

The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information.

• Doctoral Committee
• Doctoral Oral Comprehensive Exam
• Doctoral Written Exam
• Prospectus Oral Exam
• Dissertation Defense
• Doctoral Dissertation Approved/Format Accepted
• Residence Credit
• Doctoral ​Exit Survey
• Doctoral Manuscript Submission
• Doctoral Intradepartmental Review
• Doctoral Preparatory Committee Review
• Doctoral Research Presentation

Professors

Eva Anton, Neural Circuitry in the Cerebral Cortex
Aysenil Belger, Cortical Circuits Underlying Attention and Executive Function in the Brain
Joyce Besheer, Neurobiological Mechanisms Underlying Alcoholism and Addiction
Jay Brenman, AMP-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) Plays a Central Role in Energy Balance/Metabolism
Regina Carelli, Brain Reward Processes
Richard Cheney, Fundamental Cell Biology Unconventional Myosins, Filopodia, and Motility
Fulton Crews, Molecular Aspects of Neuronal Vitality and Alcohol
Mohanish Deshmukh, Mechanisms of Apoptosis Regulation in Neurons, Stem Cells, and Cancer Cells
Gabriel Dichter, Understanding and Improving Treatments for Neurodevelopmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Serena Dudek (NIEHS), Connections in the Brain (Synapses) Change in Response to Activity
Sylvia Fitting, Structural and Functional Consequences of Behavior and Neurocognition in Disease
Flavio Frohlich, Cortical Networks Generate Physiological, Pathological Activity States
Rebecca Fry, Environmental Exposures Associated with Human Disease, Focusing on Genomic and Epigenomic Perturbations
John Gilmore, Human Brain Development, Immune Regulation of Neurodevelopment, Schizophrenia
Kelly Giovanello, Exploring the Cognitive and Neural Processes Mediating Memory in Young Adults
Elizabeta Gjoneska, Neuroepigenomics and Neurodegeneration
Stephanie Gupton, Coordination and Regulation of Cytoskeletal Dynamics and Membrane Trafficking
Klaus Hahn, Understand Cell Behaviors Mediated by Structural Dynamics
Shawn Hingtgen, Stem Cells, Treatment of Terminal Cancers, Brain Cancer
Clyde Hodge, Neurobehavioral Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics of Addiction
Joseph Hopfinger, Cognitive Psychology and Perception
Patricia Jensen (NIEHS), Genetic and Environmental Perturbations During Development
Tom Kash, Synaptic Transmission and Plasticity
Julieta Lischinsky, Neurobehavioral Circuits
Donald Lysle, Neuroimmunology, Learning Processes
Paul Manis, Cellular Basis of Auditory Information Processing in Brainstem and Cortex
Rick Meeker, Neuroendocrine Regulation, Glutamate Receptors, Mechanisms of AIDS Dementia
Mark Peifer, Cell Adhesion, Signal Transduction, and Cytoskeletal Regulation in Development and Disease
Benjamin Philpot, Modification of the Cerebral Cortex by Sensory Experience
Joseph Piven, Pathogenesis of Autism, Genetic Basis, and Neuropsychological and Behavioral Phenotype
Donita Robinson, Chemistry and Physiology of the Nucleus Accumbens
Bryan Roth, GPCR Structure and Function, Drug Discovery
David Rubinow, Neurobehavioral Effects of Gonadal Steroids, Behavioral Responses to Changes in Steroid Signaling
Gregory Scherrer, Pain and Opioids
Soma Sengupta, Neuro-Oncology and Brain Tumor Treatment
Yen-Yu Ian Shih, Developing and Applying Innovative MRI Technologies in Neurovascular Functions of the Brain
Juan Song, Adult Neurogenesis Function and Regulation
Martin Styner, Medical Imaging Analysis
Lisa Tarrantino, Genes That Increase Risk for Psychiatric Disorders
Joan M. Taylor, Characterize the Intracellular Signaling Pathways That Govern Normal and Aberrant Growth Responses in the Cardiovascular and Musculoskeletal System
Todd Thiele, Neurobiology of Alcoholism
Jenny Ting, Use of Murine Models in the Regulation of Inflammatory Genes in Demyelination and Remyelination
Sammuel M. Young, Jr., Gene Therapy and Auditory Processing
Mark Zylka, Molecules and Mechanisms for Pain

Associate Professors

Jessica Cohen, Functional Brain Networks Interaction When Confronted with Changing Cognitive Emands
Sarah Cohen, Lipid Trafficking
Todd Cohen, Alzheimer's Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Eran Dayan, Brain Connectivity, Functional Neuroimaging
Graham Diering, Molecular Mechanisms of Sleep Function Impact on the Brain
Doug Fitzpatrick, Neuronal Bases of Sound Localization Performance
Adam Hantman, Neural Networks and Motor Control
Erin Heinzen, Neurodevelopment Disease Genetics
Melissa Herman, Inhibitory Microcircuitry Governing Network Function in Motivated Behaviors
Toshi Hige, Mechanisms of Behavioral Responses in Regards to Synaptic Plasticity, Neural Circuit and Behavior
Michelle Itano, Microscopy Optimization for Visualizing Living Networks
Hiroyuki Kato, Neural Encoding of Complex Auditory Stimuli
Michael Love, Computational/Biostatistical Methods for Biomedical/Biological Research
Zoe Mcelligott, Mechanisms That Underlie Affective Disorders — Anxiety, Depression and Substance Abuse
Scott Parnell, Effects of Drug Abuse During Early Development and the Underlying Mechanisms of Birth Defects
Kathryn Reissner, Chronic Self-Administration of Cocaine, Neuronastrocyte Communication, Long-Term Drug Seeking
Kim Ritola, Optimization of Viral Tools (NeuroTools) for Brain Development and Disease
Crystal Schiller, Changes in Ovarian Steroid Hormones Contribute to Depression and Anxiety Across the Reproductive Lifespan
Mark Shen, Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Celia Shiau, Genetic, Cellular and Developmental Systems for Vertebrate Biology
Natasha Snider, Human Diseases Caused by Defects in the Cytoskeleton
Jason Stein, Genetic Effects on Multiple Aspects of the Human Brain
Hyejung Won, Genetic Risk Factors for Psychiatric Illnesses and Neurobiological Mechanisms
Guorong Wu, Developing Computational Tools for Understanding Brain Pathology
Anthony Zannas, Epigenetic Changes and How They Contribute to Stress-Related Somatic and Behavioral Phenotypes

Assistant Professors

Katie Baldwin, Function and Development of Glial Cells
Alana Campbell, Cognitive Control and Emotional Processes
Jiakun Chen, Astrocyte Development and Function
Daniel Christoffel, Behavioral Impacts on Brain Function and Adaptation
Leon Coleman, Alcohol Use Disorders and Pathologies
Shahzad S. Khan, Molecular Basis of Neurodegeneration
Robert G. Mealer, Protein Glycosylation and Psychiatric Disorders
Nicolas Pegard, Computational Optics, Imaging Systems, Optical Instrumentation, and Digital Interfaces
Raghavendra Pradyumna Pothukuchi, Building Computers That Can Directly Talk to the Brain, and Think Like the Mind
Jose Rodriguez-Romaguera, Neuronal Circuits that Drive Hyperarousal
Ryan P. Vetreno, Neuroimmune and Epigenetic Mechanisms in Disease Models
Jessica Walsh, Molecular and Circuit Understanding of Behavior
Morika D. Williams, Molecular Mechanisms of Neurophysiological Pain Processing
Amol Yadav, Brain-Spine-Machine Interfaces
En Yang, Distributed Computations for Learning and Memory
Tarek M. Zikry, Dimensionality Reduction, Statistical Machine Learning, Validation and Interpretation of Unsupervised Learning, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Precision Medicine, Cancer, Neuroscience