TNP Research Objectives, Environment

Translational Neuroscience Program (TNP) objectives are:

To provide outstanding students with a strong background in neuroscience, including but not limited to, cellular and molecular neurobiology, fundamental and applied concepts of neuroimaging, neuropharmacology, and developmental neuroscience, with a particular emphasis on understanding disorders of the nervous system.
To train graduate students in experimental design and statistical analyses, and in the use of modern experimental protocols and methods in basic and applied neuroscience.
To train outstanding research scientists who can successfully develop careers dedicated to translating advances in basic neuroscience to understanding, treating and preventing clinical problems.
To encourage scholarly cooperation and to advance the scientific and professional status of translational neuroscience in the university and throughout the larger community.

The overarching goal of the TNP is to train basic and clinical neuroscientists in the rigorous scientific approach to research as well as the application of concepts in clinical neuroscience. The program capitalizes on WSU’s educational and research strengths, namely, a focus on the spectrum of neuroimaging modalities as applied to nervous system disorders and models. Especially relevant is the relationship between behavior and brain structure and chemistry in health and disease. A clear training advantage of WSU is the ability to provide a broad-based exposure to multiple, modern experimental and applied imaging-based approaches to the study of behavior and brain structure and function. The program recognizes the need for in-depth laboratory experiences that encompass clinical neuroscience, physics, neurobiology, instrumentation, and application. Complementary coursework and seminars will focus on functional neuroanatomy, theory and practice of neuroimaging, and exposure to clinical patients with nervous system disorders.

To ensure that students are broadly educated, i.e., making the program truly interdisciplinary, the imaging-focused neuroscience research and training will be complemented by non-imaging research of faculty in non-clinical disciplines (e.g., anatomy, behavioral sciences, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, computational modeling, pharmacology, physiology,) and clinical disciplines (e.g., psychiatry, neurology and psychology). Similar to most graduate programs in the neurosciences, students will be trained to develop testable hypotheses and sound research designs, apply appropriate and complex statistical methods, conduct research ethically and responsibly, create competitive grant applications for support from the National Institute of Health, and envision a career path.

Wayne State University offers a unique interdisciplinary environment for training neuroscientists in the post-baccalaureate and graduate levels. Within the School of Medicine (SOM), and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), there exists a diverse group of young and established investigators with an interest in understanding brain development, function and dysfunction in clinical populations. Areas of active neuropsychiatric research include; schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, stroke, neurotrauma, epilepsy, aging, and various developmental and substance use disorders. In addition, the University has outstanding resources to conduct in vivo and ex vivo neuroimaging studies of brain structure, function, electrophysiology, and chemistry.

Within the SOM, the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences (DPBN) has a strong and recognized tradition of excellence in the three interlinked areas of research, training, and clinical care that form the basis for the disciplines of biological psychiatry and translational neuroscience. The clinical environment of the DPBN combined with the enrichment of the neuroimaging infrastructure, both in personnel and equipment, presents an exceptional opportunity to become a national leader in both research and training. These strengths are complemented and amplified by the presence of strong and recognized basic science departments (e.g. Anatomy, Biochemistry) and clinical departments (e.g. Neurology, Pediatrics). In fact, the University’s strength in neuroimaging (which is a result of a strategic plan initiated five years ago) extends to multiple scientific groups at WSU, ranging from physics to clinical applications.