Innovative, collaborative research.

The Department of Neuroscience at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is devoted to outstanding research and committed to excellence in education. Our faculty participate in teaching medical and graduate students and are proud of their contribution to this important enterprise.

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What We Do

Research

Our research spans the full spectrum of investigation into neural function and dysfunction, bridging the levels of genes, molecules, dendrites, axons, cell types, circuits, systems and behavior.

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Education

In addition to directing their own independent research programs, our faculty are responsible for supervising the research training of postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.

EXPLORE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

Recent Publications

Pharmacological blocking of spinal GABA_A receptors in monkeys reduces sensory transmission to the spinal cord, thalamus, and cortex.

Mahrous AA, Liang L, Balaguer JM, Ho JC, Grigsby EM, Karapetyan V, Damiani A, Fields DP, Gonzalez-Martinez JA, Gerszten PC, Bennett DJ, Heckman CJ, Pirondini E, Capogrosso M.

Cell Rep. 2024 Dec 18;44(1):115100. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115100. Online ahead of print.

Roles of ANK2/ankyrin-B in neurodevelopmental disorders: Isoform functions and implications for autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy.

Yoon S, Penzes P.

Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2024 Dec 3;90:102938. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2024.102938. Online ahead of print.

ENIGMA-Chronic Pain: a worldwide initiative to identify brain correlates of chronic pain.

Quidé Y, Jahanshad N, Andoh J, Antoniou G, Apkarian AV, Ashar YK, Badran BW, Baird CL, Baxter L, Bell TR, Blanco-Hinojo L, Borckardt J, Cheung CL, Ciampi de Andrade D, Couto BA, Cox SR, Cruz-Almeida Y, Dannlowski U, De Martino E, de Tommaso M, Deus J, Domin M, Egorova-Brumley N, Elliott J, Fanton S, Fauchon C, Flor H, Franz CE, Gatt JM, Gerdhem P, Gilman JM, Gollub RL, Govind V, Graven-Nielsen T, Håkansson G, Hales T, Haswell C, Heukamp NJ, Hu L, Huang L, Hussain A, Jensen K, Kircher T, Kremen WS, Leehr EJ, Lindquist M, Loggia ML, Lotze M, Martucci KT, Meeker TJ, Meinert S, Millard SK, Morey RA, Murillo C, Nees F, Nenadic I, Park HRP, Peng X, Ploner M, Pujol J, Robayo LE, Salan T, Seminowicz DA, Serian A, Slater R, Stein F, Stevens J, Strauss S, Sun D, Vachon-Presseau E, Valdes-Hernandez PA, Vanneste S, Vernon M, Verriotis M, Wager TD, Widerstrom-Noga E, Woodbury A, Zeidan F, Bhatt RR, Ching CRK, Haddad E, Thomopoulos SI, Thompson PM, Gustin SM.

Pain. 2024 Dec 1;165(12):2662-2666. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000003317. Epub 2024 Jul 26.

Levetiracetam prevents Aβ₄₂ production through SV2a-dependent modulation of App processing in Alzheimer's disease models.

Rao NR, DeGulis O, Nomura T, Lee S, Hark TJ, Dynes JC, Dexter EX, Dulewicz M, Ge J, Upadhyay A, Fornasiero EF, Vassar R, Hanrieder J, Contractor A, Savas JN.

bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2024 Oct 28:2024.10.28.620698. doi: 10.1101/2024.10.28.620698.

μ-Opioid Receptor Modulation of the Glutamatergic/GABAergic Midbrain Inputs to the Mouse Dorsal Hippocampus.

Kim HR, Dey S, Sekerkova G, Martina M.

J Neurosci. 2024 Oct 23;44(43):e0653242024. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0653-24.2024.

Hand-Jaw Coordination as Mice Handle Food Is Organized around Intrinsic Structure-Function Relationships.

Barrett JM, Martin ME, Gao M, Druzinsky RE, Miri A, Shepherd GMG.

J Neurosci. 2024 Oct 16;44(42):e0856242024. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0856-24.2024.

α-Synuclein pathology disrupts mitochondrial function in dopaminergic and cholinergic neurons at-risk in Parkinson's disease.

Geibl FF, Henrich MT, Xie Z, Zampese E, Ueda J, Tkatch T, Wokosin DL, Nasiri E, Grotmann CA, Dawson VL, Dawson TM, Chandel NS, Oertel WH, Surmeier DJ.

Mol Neurodegener. 2024 Oct 8;19(1):69. doi: 10.1186/s13024-024-00756-2.

Persistent inward currents in human motoneurons: emerging evidence and future directions.

Mesquita RNO, Taylor JL, Heckman CJ, Trajano GS, Blazevich AJ.

J Neurophysiol. 2024 Oct 1;132(4):1278-1301. doi: 10.1152/jn.00204.2024. Epub 2024 Aug 28.

Research Priorities on the Role of α-Synuclein in Parkinson's Disease Pathogenesis.

Burré J, Edwards RH, Halliday G, Lang AE, Lashuel HA, Melki R, Murayama S, Outeiro TF, Papa SM, Stefanis L, Woerman AL, Surmeier DJ, Kalia LV, Takahashi R; MDS Scientific Issues Committee.

Mov Disord. 2024 Oct;39(10):1663-1678. doi: 10.1002/mds.29897. Epub 2024 Jun 30.

Acetyl-DL-leucine in two individuals with REM sleep behavior disorder improves symptoms, reverses loss of striatal dopamine-transporter binding and stabilizes pathological metabolic brain pattern-case reports.

Oertel WH, Janzen A, Henrich MT, Geibl FF, Sittig E, Meles SK, Carli G, Leenders K, Booij J, Surmeier DJ, Timmermann L, Strupp M.

Nat Commun. 2024 Sep 2;15(1):7619. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-51502-7.

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Basic Science Administration

Our department is supported by the Basic Science Administration group. The team provides assistance related to research and financial administration, professional affairs, facilities and communications.

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Starzl Academy

Physician-Scientist Training & Resources

We offer a wide range of resources, mentorship opportunities and formal training programs to help our residents and fellows excel as physician-scientists. Explore all of the resources and hear from housestaff who are making research a major part of their career development plans.

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