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Research Info

Research Information

Research is an integral part of any scentist's training, and Vanderbilt University offers a huge variety of research opportunites in several fields. Here you'll find what Vandy's Neuroscience Department has to offer, and which researchers do what.

 

Professor	#Ugrads (approx)*	Research Area / Interests**
Bruce Appel	0	Genetics of Neural Development, Myelination and Neural Stem Cells
Michael Aschner	2-3	Toxicology, Cell Apoptosis
Jo-Anne Bachorowski	0	Vocal Communication and Emotion-Related Responding
Randolph Blake	3	Visual Perception
Randy Blakely	3-5	Neurotransmitter Regulation
Lewis S. Blevins, Jr., M.D.	0-1	Pituitary Tumors, HPA axis function in diseases
Mark Boothby, MD, PhD	0	Molecular mechanisms of signal transduction and transcription factor regulation of survival, differentiation, and proliferation
Kendal S. Broadie	0-2	Nervous system development, function and plasticity
Raymond Burk	1	Selenium metabolism and function in animals and human beings
David J. Calkins	0	Genetic and molecular regulation of retinal function in health and disease
Bruce D. Carter	0-2	Neuronal survival pathways and activation during development
Vivien Casagrande	1-3	Generation of cellular patterns and connections of the mammalian visual system during development
Ken Catania	0-1	Neurobiology and Behavior of Mammals: Organization and function of mammalian sensory systems.
Roger Colbran	0-1	Molecular determinants for synaptic targeting of protein kinases and protein phosphatases in the central nervous system
P. Jeffrey Conn	1-4	Cellular/molecular mechanisms of regulation of neuronal function. Novel treatments for CNS disorders.
Ronald L. Cowan	0-1	Role of Seratonin and Dopamine in brain processes (especially mood and emotion). Effects of drug abuse.
Lou DeFelice	0-1	Neurotransmitter Transporters. Effects of drug abuse on NT transport.
Jerod Denton	0-1	Potassium channel physiology and pharmacology; Macrophage signal transduction in obesity
Chand Desai	0	Signpost molecules and nervous system development
Elisabeth M. Dykens, Ph.D.	0-1	Mental retardation, Prader-Willi syndrome
Ford Ebner	3	Studies of synaptic plasticity in normal and functionally impaired cerebral cortex.
Ronald B. Emeson	1-3	Regulation of RNA editing in the CNS
Kevin C. Ess	0	Molecular mechanisms for development and how disruptions of these processes lead to cortical malformation
Robert Fox	2	Binocular Rivalry, Mental Retardation's effects on the visual perception
Martin Gallagher	0-1	Molecular mechanisms by which mutations in epilepsy genes cause disease
Isabel Gauthier	0	Object recognition in the visual system
Merida Grant		Neural basis of cognitive control and regulation of emotion in depression. Neurobiology of stress
John Gore	0-1	fMRI application in studying brain function and structure, brain development, neurodevelopmental disorders
Jonathan Haines	0	Localization and identification of genes involved in human disease
Heidi Hamm	0-1	G protein signaling mechanisms and cascades
Troy Hackett	2-3	Functional organization of auditory cortex
Carl Johnson	0-1	Cellular and Molecular Biology of Biological Clocks
Jon Kaas	2	Sensory and motor system organization in mammals and how injury and environmental conditions alter organization in developing and adult mammals
Craig H. Kennedy, Ph.D.	2	Developmental disabilities, phylogeny and ontogeny of self-injury and aggression, inclusive education
Joseph Lappin	0	Psychophysical studies of visually perceived spatial structure and motion
Pat Levitt	2-3	Molecular and Developmental Basis of Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Rene Marois	1-2	Neural basis of attention and information processing in the human brain (using fMRI and psychophysical tools)
Gregory C. Mathews	1	Role of GABA metabolism in the dynamic regulation of inhibitory synaptic strength; seizures and epilepsy
James M. May, M.D.	0	Vtamin C's role in protecting neuronal cells from oxidant stress that results from over-expression of two Alzheimer?s genes (APP and PS-1) in transgenic mice
Mike McDonald, PhD	6	Early pathological events in Alzheimer's disease and ADHD
BethAnn McLaughlin	1-2	Mechanisms responsible for cell vulnerability to acute and chronic insults
Douglas G. McMahon, PhD	0-1	Mechanisms of the biological clock and the adaptation of retinal circuitry to light and darkness
Richard Nass	1-2	Molecular mechanisms of neurogenerative diseases (focus: Parkinson's) using C. elegans as a model system
David Noelle	1	Human concept and skill learning, working memory, cognitive control, prefrontal cortex, artificial neural networks, machine learning.
Terry Page	1	Neurobiology of circadian rhythms
Sohee Park	1	Neurobiological bases of psychoses
John S. Penn	0	Molecular basis of angiogenesis in the eye
Richard Alan Peters	0	Acquisition of intelligent behaviors by sensory-guided robots
Christina Peterson	0	Anaesthesiology and hearth arrythmias
Daniel Polley	0-2	Development and plasticity of the mammalian auditory system
John Rieser	0-1	How development, perception, representation (imagination), and action come to act in concert as a coordinated system
Dan Roden	0	Mechanisms and treatment of cardiac arrhythmias
Anna Roe	1	Understanding the neuronal circuitry underlying vision and touch
Andrew Rossi	1-3	How sensory information is represented in visual cortex and how cognitive processes are incorporated with that information at higher levels of visual processing
Ronald M. Salomon		Biological mechanisms involved in mood disorders
Elaine Sanders-Bush	0-1	Mechanisms of normal and abnormal regulation of the structure and function of these serotonin receptors
Jeffrey Schall	0-1	How the brain guides and controls actions by monitoring the signals in the frontal lobe during performance of visual search and countermanding tasks
Bih-Hwa Shieh	0	Mechanisms of G-protein coupled phospholipase C-mediated signal transduction
Adriane E. Seiffert, PhD	0-1	How people see and direct their attention to moving objects
Subramaniam Sriram	0	Mechanism of CNS demyelination
Lilianna Solnica-Krezel	0	Mechanisms underlying gastrulation - zebrafish studies
Gregg Stanwood	1-2	Developmental influences of biogenic amine signaling on the formation and function of neural circuits mediating cognitive and emotional responses
Gerald Stubbs	0-1	The molecular structure of filamentous biological assemblies: filamentous plant viruses, and prions and other amyloids
Marshall L. Summar	0-1	Metabolic disorders that perturb CNS development and functions
Reid Thompson	3	Brain Tumors and Malformations
Frank Tong	1	The Mind-Body problem. Relationships between brain activity and visual awareness
Mark T. Wallace	3-5	Neural bases of multisensory processes; development and plasticity in sensory and multisensory systems; developmental disabilities
Donna J. Webb	0	Understand the signaling pathways that regulate the formation of dendritic spines and synapses in hippocampal neurons
John Wikswo	0	Development and application of microdevices for instrumenting and controlling single living cells
Danny Winder	0	Molecular mechanisms involved in regulation of synaptic transmission, role of LTP in mammalian learning and memory
Shin Yamazaki/Yamaki	1-2	Circadian organization in mammals, analysis of circadian mechanisms underlying human disorders
David Zald	3-4	Cortical dysfunction's relation to affective and anxiety disorders
Laurence J. Zwiebel	0	Molecular and developmental characterization of olfaction in the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae

 

 

 

 

*The Number of Undergraduate Students represents an approximation of how many registered Neuroscience 292 (undergraduate research) students were listed for each professor in recent years. This number in nno way represents max or min, and we enourage anyone interested in pursung research to contact the professors.

**The descriptions and interests wer adapted and interpreted form the professors' webpages, and are mean to give a "general idea" of their research interests. Students should contact conduct further research i interrested in applying for a position in a lab. This is not a complete listing of every professor who coducts neuroscience related research at vanderbilt; it is an attemt to provide a guide and a starting point for prospective undergraduate researchers.