Training Grant in Neurobehavioral Genetics

University Of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a proposal for a post-doctoral training program in Neurobehavioral Genetics. The completion of human genome sequencing provides an extraordinary opportunity to identify the genetic basis of disorders of brain function. Progress in this endeavor will be speeded by bridging several longstanding dichotomies; between nervous system mechanisms and behavior, between neurology and psychiatry/psychology, between diseases and non-disease traits, and between humans and model organisms. The goal of this proposal is to achieve such bridging by providing a unified training to fellows from a wide range of backgrounds, including clinical neurology, psychiatry, and psychology, as well as basic sciences. The program will emphasize the importance of systematic delineation and assessment of nervous system phenotypes, including the integration of traditional clinical and cognitive evaluations with recently available phenotyping tools such as neuroimaging and gene expression profiling. There will also be substantial opportunities for fellows to enhance their training in genetics/genomics and neuroscience. The ambitious goals of the program are achievable because the program faculty is very strong in virtually all of the areas that are relevant to neurobehavioral genetics, and because the faculty members have long embraced, in their research, the integrative and cross-disciplinary approach that is at the heart of the program.