Department of Neuroscience
The Department of Neuroscience plays a key role in the development and teaching of basic sciences in the Medical School Gateway curriculum, including human anatomy, histology, and neuroscience. In conjunction with the Division of Biology & Biomedical Sciences (DBBS) program in neuroscience, the department also offers introductory graduate courses in cellular, molecular, and systems neuroscience. In addition, the department also offers a number of advanced courses that are primarily designed for graduate students but that are also open to students in the medical curriculum. Finally, advanced elective research activities are offered by faculty in the department.
Contact Info
| Website: | http://neuroscience.wustl.edu |
Linda J. Richards, AO, FAA, FAHMS, PhD
Department Chair
Visit our website for more information about our faculty and their appointments.
A
Joonas Autio, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Assistant Professor of Radiology
null, University of Eastern Finland, 2013
B
Amy Lynn Bauernfeind, M.Phil., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anatomy (primary appointment)
Vice Chair Education Department of Neuroscience
Associate Professor of Anthropology (Courtesy)
Bachelor of Science, Vanderbilt University, 2004
Master of Philosophy, George Washington University, 2011
Doctor of Philosophy, George Washington University, 2014
Peter O Bayguinov, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
Bachelor of Science, University of Washington, 2003
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Nevada Reno, 2010
Azad Bonni
Voluntary Research Professor of Neuroscience
Paul C Bridgman, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience
Bachelor of Arts, University of San Diego, 1974
Master of Science, University of California San Diego, 1976
Doctor of Philosophy, Purdue University-Main Campus, 1980
Andreas H Burkhalter, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Master of Science, University of Zurich, 1973
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Zurich, 1977
Harold Burton, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience
Bachelor of Arts, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, 1964
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin Madison, 1968
C
Valeria Cavalli, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Robert E. and Louise F. Dunn Professorship in Biomedical Research
Bachelor of Science, University of Geneva, 1991
Master of Science, University of Geneva, 1992
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Geneva, 2000
Fujun Chen, Ph.D.
Instructor in Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Doctor of Philosophy, East China Normal University (华东师范大学), 2007
Yao Chen, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Assistant Professor of Cell Biology and Physiology
Assistant Professor of Electrical & System Engineering
Bachelor of Science, University of Cambridge, 2002
Master of Science, University of Cambridge, 2006
Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 2009
James M Cheverud, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Anatomy
Bachelor of Arts, Northwestern University, 1975
Master of Science, University of Wisconsin Madison, 1977
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin Madison, 1979
Glenn C Conroy, M.Phil., Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Anatomy
Bachelor of Arts, University of California Berkeley, 1970
Master of Philosophy, Yale University, 1972
Doctor of Philosophy, Yale University, 1974
D
Krikor T Dikranian, Ph.D., M.D.
Professor of Anatomy (primary appointment)
Professor of Physical Therapy
Doctor of Medicine, Medical University of Varna, 1978
Doctor of Philosophy, Medical University of Sofia, 1992
F
Susan M Fitzpatrick, Ph.D.
Voluntary Research Associate Professor of Neuroscience
Voluntary Research Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy
Bachelor of Science, Saint Johns University, 1978
Doctor of Philosophy, Cornell University, 1984
Tom P Franken, M.S., Ph.D., M.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Doctor of Medicine, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 2009
Doctor of Philosophy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 2015
Master of Science, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 2016
G
Harrison W. Gabel, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Baccalaureatus, Princeton University, 2001
Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 2008
Matthew Gaidica, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Kettering University, 2010
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, 2019
David I Gottlieb, M.A., Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor of Neurobiology
Bachelor of Arts, Harpur College (Duplicate of Binghamton University), 1964
Master of Arts, University of Wisconsin Madison, 1969
Doctor of Philosophy, Washington University in St Louis, 1971
H
Edward B. Han, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology
Bachelor of Science, Cornell University, 1995
Doctor of Philosophy, University of California San Diego, 2004
Martha B. Han, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Yale University, 2000
Doctor of Philosophy, University of California San Diego, 2008
Naoki Hiratani, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, The University of Tokyo, 2011
Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Tokyo, 2016
Timothy E. Holy, M.A., Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Alan A and Edith L Wolff Professor of Neuroscience
Vice Chair Research of Neuroscience
Bachelor of Arts, Rice University, 1991
Master of Arts, Princeton University, 1992
Doctor of Philosophy, Princeton University, 1997
Cheng Huang, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Beijing Institute of Technology (北京理工大学), 2005
Master of Science, Beijing Institute of Technology (北京理工大学), 2007
Doctor of Philosophy, Tsinghua University (清华大学), 2013
J
Joanna Louisa Jankowsky, Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
null, Amherst College, 1991
null, California Institute of Technology, 1999
K
Adam Kepecs, Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Robert J Terry Professor of Neuroscience
Professor of Psychiatry
Bachelor of Science, Eotvos Lorand University (University of Budapest), 1997
Doctor of Philosophy, Brandeis University, 2002
L
Qingyun Li, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Assistant Professor of Genetics
Bachelor of Science, China Agricultural University, 2006
Doctor of Philosophy, Duke University, 2015
Alessandro Livi, Ph.D.
Instructor in Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Parma, 2019
M
David Norman Menton, Ph.D.
Associate Professor Emeritus of Anatomy
Bachelor of Science, Mankato State University (Duplicate of Minnesota State University-Mankato), 1959
Doctor of Philosophy, Brown University, 1966
Ashley C. Morhardt, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Anatomy (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Illinois College, 2006
Master of Science, Western Illinois University, 2009
Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio University-Main Campus, 2016
N
Michael L Nonet, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, University of California Davis, 1984
Doctor of Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1989
O
Karen Laurel O'Malley, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Arts, Sonoma State University, 1971
Master of Science, Portland State University, 1973
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Texas Austin, 1980
Hysell Oviedo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Roger M Perlmutter Career Development Assistant Professorship
Doctor of Philosophy, New York University, 2004
P
Camillo Padoa-Schioppa, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Professor of Economics (Courtesy)
Master of Science, La Sapienza University, 1996
Doctor of Philosophy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002
Thomas J Papouin, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, École Normale Supérieure Paris, 2005
Master of Science, École Normale Supérieure Paris, 2007
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Bordeaux 2, 2011
Jane Phillips Conroy, M.A., Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Anatomy
Bachelor of Arts, Brandeis University, 1969
Master of Arts, New York University, 1973
Doctor of Philosophy, New York University, 1978
Joseph L Price, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Bachelor of Arts, Oxford University (Duplicate of University of Oxford), 1966
Doctor of Philosophy, Oxford University (Duplicate of University of Oxford), 1969
Kristen Alexandra Prufrock, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Anatomy (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, University of Toronto, 2012
Master of Science, University of Toronto, 2014
Doctor of Philosophy, Johns Hopkins University, 2020
R
Linda J Richards, Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Edison Professor of Neuroscience
Director of McDonnell Center for Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
Head of the Department of Neuroscience
Bachelor of Science, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute, 1990
Doctor of Philosophy, Walter & Eliza Hall Institute, 1994
S
Lawrence B Salkoff, Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Professor of Genetics
Bachelor of Arts, University of California Los Angeles, 1967
Doctor of Philosophy, University of California Berkeley, 1979
Paul Joseph Shaw, M.A., Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Arts, Niagara University, 1985
Master of Arts, San Jose State University, 1990
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Chicago, 1996
Lawrence H Snyder, M.S., Ph.D., M.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences
Baccalaureatus, Princeton University, 1982
Master of Science, University of Rochester, 1992
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Rochester, 1992
Doctor of Medicine, University of Rochester, 1992
T
Paul H Taghert, Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Arts, Reed College, 1975
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Washington, 1981
Gaia Tavoni, M.S., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Assistant Professor of Electrical & Systems Engineering
Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
Assistant Professor of Physics
Bachelor of Science, Politecnico di Torino, 2010
Master of Science, Politecnico di Torino, 2012
Doctor of Philosophy, École Normale Supérieure Paris, 2015
Alex Michael Taylor, Ph.D.
Instructor in Anatomy (primary appointment)
Doctor of Philosophy, Saint Louis University, 2021
V
David C Van Essen, Ph.D.
Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Alumni Endowed Professor of Neurobiology
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Bachelor of Science, California Institute of Technology, 1967
Doctor of Philosophy, Harvard University, 1971
Y
Jason Yi, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Neuroscience (primary appointment)
Bachelor of Science, Dickinson College, 2001
Doctor of Philosophy, Duke University, 2009
Neuroscience Research Electives
During the fourth year, opportunities exist for many varieties of advanced clinical or research experiences.
Kari Allen, PhD
North Building, 3rd Floor
Phone: 314-747-6572
Paleoanthropology and phylogenetic statistics; comparative analyses of primate craniodental morphology and the evolution of brain size
Martha Bagnall, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 4th Floor
Phone: 314-362-9695
Molecular, electrophysiological, and behavioral analyses of neural circuits for vestibular control of spinal function
Paul Bridgman, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 8th Floor
Phone: 314-362-3449
Cell biology of the developing nervous system
Andreas Burkhalter, PhD
North Building, 4th Floor
Phone: 314-362-4068
Organization and function of neuronal circuits in mouse visual cortex
Harold Burton, PhD
East McDonnell Building, 3rd Floor
Phone: 314-362-3556
Cortical functional reorganization in response to sensory loss
Valeria Cavalli, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Phone: 314-362-3540
Cellular, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms controlling axon regeneration
Yao Chen, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Phone: 314-273-7739
We aim to understand how the dynamics of neuromodulators and intracellular signals contribute to the function of neuromodulators, to learning, and to the function of sleep.
Krikor Dikranian, MD, PhD
North Building, 3rd Floor
Phone: 314-362-3548
Cell death during the development of the mammalian central nervous system; traumatic brain injury in the infant
James Fitzpatrick, PhD
McKinley Research Building, Basement
Phone: 314-747-0838
Optical and charged particle multiscale microscopy application method development
Tom Franken, MD, PhD
East McDonnell Building, 3rd Floor
Phone: 314-362-3590
Neuronal mechanisms of perception
Harrison Gabel, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 8th Floor
Phone: 314-362-9814
Gene regulation in the developing nervous system; molecular mechanisms of neurodevelopmental disorders
Geoffrey Goodhill, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Computational neuroscience; large-scale neural recording; development of behavior and neural coding in zebrafish; autism models
Edward Han, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Phone: 314-747-2505
Learning-related hippocampal network activation
Timothy E. Holy, PhD
North Building, 4th Floor
Phone: 314-362-0086
Neural mechanisms of action of mammalian pheromones
Adam Kepecs, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 4th Floor
Phone: 314-273-8523
Our long-term goal is to reverse engineer the computational and neurobiological processes underlying cognition and decision-making and apply these insights to biological psychiatry.
Tristan (Qingyun) Li, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 8th Floor
Phone: 314-273-1422
My lab is broadly interested in neuroimmunology, with a focus on microglial biology. We combine cutting-edge, single-cell genomic technologies with in vitro and in vivo genetic, molecular, and cellular tools to investigate microglial functions in the establishment of the nervous system, and we study how changes in these functions contribute to neurological diseases.
Ilya Monosov, MS, PhD
East McDonnell Building, 2nd Floor
Phone: 314-362-3740
Neuronal mechanisms of voluntary behavior
Ashley Morhardt, PhD
North Building, 3rd Floor
Phone: 314-273-1859
Evolution of neural diversity within and across non-mammalian vertebrate clades, especially dinosaurs
Michael L. Nonet, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Phone: 314-747-1176
Molecular genetic analysis of synaptic development and function
Karen L. O’Malley, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Phone: 314-362-7087
Molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative processes; signaling mechanisms associated with intracellular receptors
Camillo Padoa Schioppa, PhD
East McDonnell Building, 3rd Floor
Phone: 314-747-2253
Neuronal bases of economic choice and decision making
Thomas Papouin, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Phone: 314-273-7738
Role played by the 80% to 90% of non-neuronal cells (glial cells) in brain function
Linda J. Richards AO, FAA, FAHMS, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Phone: 314-362-3033
The Brain Development and Disorders Laboratory investigates how long-range neural circuits are established in the brain and how neural circuit plasticity affects the function of the cerebral cortex.
Lawrence B. Salkoff, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Phone: 314-362-3644
Roles of ion channels in neuronal long-term excitability changes
Paul J. Shaw, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Phone: 314-362-2703
Molecular genetics of sleep and circadian rhythms
Lawrence H. Snyder, MD, PhD
East McDonnell Building, 3rd Floor
Phone: 314-747-3530
Computational and cognitive issues in cortical control of eye and arm movement investigated via electrophysiology and imaging
Paul H. Taghert, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 9th Floor
Phone: 314-362-3641
Neurobiology of circadian rhythms; neurobiology of peptidergic neurotransmission
Gaia Tavoni, PhD
East McDonnell Building, 3rd Floor
Phone: 314-362-3590
Applying concepts and methods from statistical mechanics, Bayesian theory, mathematics and biophysics to the study of the brain
David C. Van Essen, PhD
East McDonnell Building, 2nd Floor
Phone: 314-362-7043
Organization, function, and development of primate cerebral cortex, especially in humans; generation and utilization of neuroinformatics tools for data mining
Jason Yi, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 8th Floor
Phone: 314-273-1664
Molecular pathways shaping nervous system development and function
Guoyan Zhao, PhD
McDonnell Medical Sciences Building, 8th Floor
Phone: 314-273-9045
My laboratory is interested in understanding the regulatory networks that control the development and proper function of mammalian brains in the context of human health and disease.
BIOL 5571 Cellular Neurobiology
This course will present a fully integrated overview of nerve cell structure, function and development at the molecular and cellular level. Broad topics to be covered include gene structure and regulation in the nervous system, quantitative analysis of voltage- and chemically-gated ion channels, presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms of chemical neurotransmission, sensory transduction, neurogenesis and migration, axon guidance and synapse formation. Two lectures plus one hour of discussion per week for 14 weeks. There will be three exams, as well as homework problems and summaries of discussion papers. Prerequisites: graduate standing or permission of the instructor.
Credit 6 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall
BIOL 5622 Cognitive, Computational, and Systems Neuroscience Project Building
The goal of this course is to help students in the CCSN Pathway develop the critical thinking skills necessary to develop and implement high quality, interdisciplinary research projects. Throughout the course of the semester, each student will develop a research plan in their chosen area of interest. The plan will be developed in consultation with at least two faculty members (from at least two different subdisciplines within the pathway) as well as the other students and faculty participating in the course. The culmination of this course will be for each student to produce an NIH-style grant proposal on the research project of their choosing. For most students, this will serve either as their thesis proposal or a solid precursor to the thesis proposal. The course will be designed to help facilitate the development of such a research plan through didactic work, class presentations, class discussion, and constructive feedback on written work. The course will begin with a review of written examples of outstanding research proposals, primarily in the form of grant submissions similar to those that the students are expected to develop (i.e., NRSA style proposals, R03 proposals). Review of these proposals will serve as a stimulus to promote discussion about the critical elements of good research proposals and designs in different areas. Each student will be expected to give three presentations throughout the semester that will provide opportunities to receive constructive feedback on the development and implementation of research aims. The first presentation (towards the beginning of the semester) will involve presentation of the student's general topic of interest and preliminary formulation of research questions. Feedback will emphasize ways to focus and develop the research hypotheses into well-formulated questions and experiments. The second presentation will involve a more detailed presentation of specific research questions (along the lines of NIH-style Specific Aims) and an initial outline of research methods. The final presentation will involve a fuller presentation of research questions and proposed methods. Feedback, didactic work, and group discussion throughout the semester will include guidance on critical components of the development of a research plan, including how to perform literature searches, formulate testable hypotheses, write critical literature summaries, and design experiments and analyses. The course will meet once a week, with faculty members from different tracks within the Pathway present at each meeting. This will allow students to receive feedback from several perspectives.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring
BIOL 5648 Coding and Statistical Thinking in the Neurosciences
Students are introduced to scientific programming in Python. Students will learn common programming constructs and how to visualize and analyze data. Coding will be integrated into a statistics curriculum introducing summary statistics, probability distributions, simulation and hypothesis testing, and power analysis for experimental design.
Credit 3 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring
BIOL 5651 Neural Systems
The course will consist of lectures and discussions of the sensory, motor and integrative systems of the brain and spinal cord, together with a weekly lab. The lectures will present aspects of most neural systems, and will be given by faculty members who have specific expertise on each topic. The discussions will include faculty led group discussions and papers presented and discussed by students. The labs will include human brain dissections, examination of histological slides, physiological recordings, behavioral methods, computational modeling, and functional neural imaging.
Credit 4 units.
Typical periods offered: Spring
BIOL 5989 Advanced Topics in Neuroscience
This course will expose upper-level and postdoctoral students to advanced topics and methods in neuroscience. The course will rapidly fill gaps in student knowledge in areas that may be relevant to new directions in thesis work or interest areas. Each section of the course will be offered asynchronously, sometimes in coordination with existing journal clubs and other seminars. Each section will meet for two hours per week for three weeks. Sections may start with a didactic component or a review paper, but they will quickly delve into the discussion of primary papers curated by faculty and covering a focused topic. It is expected that papers will cover both historical and current contexts. Some sections will focus on technique; others will be conceptually focused. Each section will be led by a faculty member drawn from the Neuroscience program in an area of their expertise. Objectives include deepening critical thinking, statistical knowledge, experimental design, and technical prowess.
Credit 0.5-1 units.
Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring
NEUROSCI 8005 Advanced Dissection (Non-Clinical Elective)
Students will perform detailed dissections on a discrete region of the body of their choosing - i.e. head/neck, thorax, abdomen, pelvic cavity, or limbs. Students will compile a list of personal learning objectives with the approval of the course director(s). A minimum of 30 hours of self-paced individual dissection is required and may include the practice of surgical approaches, and/or the study of cross-sectional anatomy and medical imaging. At the end of the course, each student will demonstrate their dissection results to the faculty and submit a final project. The final project allows students to synthesize their laboratory experience with primary literature on the clinically-relevant anatomy in their region of interest.
Credit 4 units.
Typical periods offered: Medicine Year