Frequently Asked Questions

1. When was the Department of Neuroscience formed?
   
2. Where is the Department located?
   
3. What is the main focus of the Department?
   
4. What kind of research is going on in the Department?
   
5. What types of approaches are being used in the Department's research?
   
6. How does the Department's research interface with clinical applications?
   
7. Who should I contact if I am interested in the neuroscience graduate program?
   
8. How do I find out about employment opportunities?

1.  When was the Department Neuroscience formed?
   
   The Department of Neuroscience evolved from the Center for Basic Neuroscience that was formed in 1998.  (top)
   
   
2.  Where is the Department located?
   
   The Department's address is:

   The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
   Department of Neuroscience
   6000 Harry Hines Blvd.
   Dallas, TX 75390-9111

   The Department is located in the North Campus.  See "Contact Us" in the left hand menu for more details.  (top)

3.  What is the main focus of the Department?
   
   The Department is dedicated to research into fundamental questions about neuronal and brain functions in health and diseases.   (top)
   
   
4.  What kind of research is going on in the Department?
   
   The Department includes 14 independent laboratories that perform research on questions related to neuron and brain function. A range of subjects in this vast area of research is covered. However, the Department does not intend to cover the entire field of brain research; instead, the research in the Department focuses on key issues that are perceived as particularly important. Among the issues covered are studies on how neurons communicate with each other at synapses, on how the brain normally develops, and on what goes wrong with normal brain function in neurodegenerative diseases. For more detailed information on the research performed in the Department, please visit the web pages of the individual laboratories in the Department.  (top)
   
   
5.  What types of approaches are being used in the Department's research?
   
   Neurobiology, the study of neuron and brain function, is probably the most interdisciplinary among biological fields. In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of neurobiology, a wide range of approaches are employed in the Department to study brain function. These approaches include extensive use of molecular biological techniques to dissect the components of the brain, physiological and behavioral methods to measure specific functions, and genetic manipulations to examine the roles of identified proteins in brain function.      (top)
   
   
6.  How does the Department's research interface with clinical applications?
   
   The Department is a basic research facility, and does not perform clinical research. However, many projects pursued in the Department are likely to have a significant impact on understanding neurological and psychiatric diseases. It has become clear in recent year that the biggest progress in understanding disease is derived from insight into the normal functions of an organ, and that basic research into the fundamental properties of a biological system and its changes in disease are the best approach to come up with new diagnostic and therapeutic ideas. The research in the Department, in dealing with synaptic transmission, neuronal development, and neurodegenerative processes, will likely be particularly important in disease such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia in which these processes are probably affected.   (top)
   
   
7.  Who should I contact if I am interested in the neuroscience graduate program?
   
   Please contact Ege Kavalali, director of the neuroscience graduate program.        (top)
   
   
8.  How do I find out about employment opportunities?
   
   See Job Openings.            (top)