Departments of Instruction

Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy

The Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy provides educational research and training programs in the anatomical sciences and fundamental neurosciences.

Course offerings to first-year medical and graduate students include developmental anatomy, gross anatomy, and neuroscience. The neuroscience course presents an integrated study of the human nervous system and encompasses the disciplines of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, neurochemistry, developmental neurobiology, neuroendocrinology, and neuropsychology. The department’s courses in gross anatomy and developmental anatomy are designed to provide students with the opportunity to acquire a fundamental knowledge of the anatomical structure of the human body and its relevance to medicine, emphasizing, among other things, the relationship of structure to function. Each of the three first-year courses is enhanced by demonstrations of the practical application of the material to clinical situations. The department participates in the elective program for medical students and in postgraduate seminars and presentations related to human morphology and the nervous system.

Laboratory electives in single or multidisciplinary areas are available to medical students and graduate students, as are special research projects and fellowships, either clinically related or directed toward basic science research. In addition, the department offers a seminar series as an integral part of its didactic program for both faculty and students. Faculty members of the department have diverse research programs in the neurosciences, but there is a particular focus on issues related to neuronal plasticity and learning and memory.