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The purpose of the Center for Neurobiological Sciences is to coordinate, encourage and support interdisciplinary research and education on the nervous system. The Center is made up of faculty and students from a variety of departments, including physiology, pharmacology, neurology, neurosurgery and ophthalmology (in the College of Medicine), oral biology (in the College of Dentistry), physiological sciences (in the College of Veterinary Medicine), pharmacodynamics (in the College of Pharmacy) and psychology (in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences). In addition, the Center is affiliated with the Whitney Laboratory of the University of Florida, located at Marineland, Florida. The Center sponsors a local neuroscience meeting in the fall and a regional neuroscience meeting in the spring. A number of outstanding speakers are brought in throughout the year, and travel support is provided for students and faculty to attend meetings and present their work or to acquire new technical skills. The Center supplements departmental offerings by contributing several courses in the neurobiological sciences, and forums are provided for students to gain experience with oral and written presentations of their scientific interests.

Included in this brochure is a list of Center members and a description of their research interests. For more information, write the Director, Center for Neurobiological Sciences, PO Box 100244, Medical Sciences Building, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610.

The Center does not admit students into Ph.D. programs; these are offered through the departments in which members of the Center have appointments. The purpose of the Center is to enhance these departmental curricula by providing broad perspectives and interdisciplinary research experiences in the neurobiological sciences. Courses in a variety of departments are available, and students are encouraged to design a tailored curriculum of courses as part of their interdisciplinary program.

Excellent facilities for research in all areas of neuroscience and behavior are available in departmental laboratories in the Health Center Complex, Psychology Building, the adjacent Veterans Administration Medical Center, the nearby Animal Research and Primate Research facilities, and the Whitney Laboratories. Both the main campus and College of Medicine libraries have extensive holdings.

Research and teaching assistantships are available through the various departments, and the Center provides stipends, through a training grant, to advanced students whose advisors are members of the Center. Fellowships are also available from the Graduate School for minority students.

The University of Florida is a combined state university and land-grant college with an approximate enrollment of 35,000. The Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Sciences, the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the School of Law, and the Graduate School are located on the campus, along with the undergraduate colleges. The graduate school offers programs leading to the Ph.D. in 56 fields. The campus is located in Gainesville, a community in north central Florida. The Whitney Laboratory is located on the east coast, at Marineland, just south of St. Augustine.

Application for admission must be made through degree-granting departments whose faculty are members of the center. After deciding which faculty member and/or department is of interest to the applicant, it is suggested that the applicant write to that faculty member and the graduate coordinator of the department, informing them of an interest in the program. The departments are listed below; address for all departments is the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610.

Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Box 100244, JHMHC.
Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, Box 100487, JHMHC.
Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, Box 100267, JHMHC.
Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Box 100274, JHMHC.
Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Sciences, Box 100144, JHMHC.
Department of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, 114 Psychology Building (Zip Code: 32611-2065).

RESEARCH INTERESTS OF FACULTY MEMBERS OF THE CENTER FOR NEUROBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Trainee Participation in this Research: Students are trained primarily in electrophysiological techniques using patch clamp technology. This training is supplemented with further training in either molecular biology, second messenger biochemistry or immunocytochemistry, depending on the demands of the specific project. The latter skills are provided through specific collaborative arrangements between the parent lab and three of the research groups in the highly active Whitney Lab. 

Trainee Participation in this Research: Trainees are involved directly in the research described above. Other techniques used: immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization

Trainee Participation in this Research: The research carried out in my laboratory employs a variety of electrophysiological, biochemical and molecular biological techniques. These include (electrophysiology) intracellular recordings, whole cell, and single channel patch clamp, and two electrode voltage clamp. The biochemical techniques include protein and lipid purification, and characterization using TLC, SDS-PAGE and western blotting. The molecular biological techniques employed include cDNA library production, PCR, cDNA cloning and DNA sequencing. Trainees resident in my laboratory would be trained in which ever techniques was required for their research but would, in addition, be exposed to all other techniques through group discussions, tutorials and, if possible, through practical experience.

Trainee Participation in this Research: A multiple disciplinary approach is used in our research efforts. The tools of molecular genetics are applied to clone and sequencing cDNA encoding proteins of interest and to begin to understand the functions of these proteins. Modern techniques or protein chemistry are applied to compare the properties of the native proteins with those expressed recombinant proteins. Biochemical assays are used to study the mechanisms of transduction and adaptation; immunocytochemistry is applied to locate the protein products.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Trainees in this laboratory learn a wide variety of research skills. Laboratory skills taught include the appropriate choice, location and method of attachment of external electrodes for the recording of heart rate, electromyogram, and electroencephalograms and other physiological measures. In addition trainees are taught the use of appropriate physiological amplification and transduction equipment, and the use of the latest computer software and hardware for the display and processing of the data. Off-line data analysis procedures will also be demonstrated including statistical packages (e.g., BMDP), spreadsheets (e.g., Quattro) and custom data scoring programs. Trainees would normally be fully involved in the execution of all phases of a complete research study with infants, young children or adult human subjects.

Trainee Participation in This Research: The trainee will be expected to master a variety of physiological and pharmacological methods including but not limited to: electromyogram and neurogram recordings, single and multiple unit recording methods in the brainstem and spinal cord, advanced correlational and spike triggered averaging analysis of single neuron spike trains, and selective delivery of drugs to the central nervous system. Participation in research conducted in this laboratory will also involve familiarity with animal models of spinal injury and methods of cellular repair of spinal tissue and animal models of cough. The graduate student also may have the opportunity to participate in experimental work involving humans.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Students learn to employ/investigate principles of operant and respondent conditions. They also learn basics of pharmacological techniques.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Other techniques used: Students in my laboratory learn general electrophysiological and surgical dissection techniques; In addition they are trained in the anatomy, physiology and pharmacology of the pain system; modes of interaction between the immune system and the pain system; and the biomechanics of soft tissues.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Graduate students learn respiratory and neurophysiological methods during the course of training in this laboratory. Specific methods related to respiratory physiology include lung volume, airflow and pressure recording in humans and experimental animals for tracheostomy, arterial and venous cauterization, exposure of respiratory muscles, spinal laminectomy and craniotomy must be mastered. Electrophysiological techniques are used for recording single unit activity form peripheral nerves, dorsal rootlet recording, extracellular microelectrodes recordings in the central nervous system, brain surface electrode recording and muscle electromyography, In humans, skin electrodes are used for recording brain evoked potentials and muscle activity. Psychophysical methods are used in human studies of respiratory sensation. The physiological parameters recorded in these studies are processed by appropriate computer analysis. Graduate students are expected to have both human and experimental animal experience before they complete their training.

Trainee Participation in this Research: This laboratory conducts basic neurochemical studies of excitatory amino acid neurotransmission. Research training is available in in vitro techniques for neurotransmitter release from brain slices, synaptosomes and glial cultures, other techniques available include; high affinity amino acid uptake measurement, radioligand binding and detailed enzymatic studies including enzyme purification. The basic approach involves neuropharmacological analysis of how excitatory amino acid synthesis and releases are controlled. The laboratory also has extensive experience in analytical neurochemistry using high performance liquid chromatography.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Techniques learned include histopathology, Fourier analysis, analog recording/A-D conversion, fluorescein angiography, fundus photography and image processing.

Trainee Participation in this Research: 1. Preparation of microscopic sections for autoradiography and electron microscopy of human brain tissues. 2. Quantitative receptor autoradiography. 3. Computer image analyses 4. Homogenization of tissue samples, liquid scintillation of membrane preparations 5. Statistical analyses using SAS 

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Students will be trained primarily in patch clamp techniques. This training is supplemented with further training in immunocytochemistry and/or calcium imaging, depending on the demands of the specific project.

Most of our attention is focused on determining the functional role of chemokines and their receptors in the
central nervous system. Chemokines are a class of pro-inflammatory peptides that are important mediators of
leukocyte migration. We have identified a number of chemokine receptors in the rat and have determined that
the central nervous system expresses many of these genes. Chemokine receptors are being studied in
transfected mammalian cells, primary cultured cells derived from rat brain (i.e. microglia, astrocytes, and
neurons), as well as a number of neuroimmunological animal models.

My laboratory actively collaborates with a number of research groups here at UF as well as at other
institutions. My principal collaborators outside of UF are Drs. Lili Feng (The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla,
CA) and Kevin B. Bacon (Neurocrine Biosciences, San Diego, CA). We are also working with Dr. Faye
Silverstein (University of Michigan). At UF our group interacts extensively with Drs. Wolfgang J. Streit
(Neuroscience), Luiz Belardinelli (Medicine), Maureen M. Goodenow (Pathology), Richard W. Moyer (Molecular
Genetics and Microbiology), and Craig H. Gelband (Physiology).

Trainee Participation in this Research: Trainees will be involved in most phases of research in my laboratory. Among the techniques which will be learned are paraffin histology, immunohistochemistry, neuroanatomical quantitative analyses, tissue culture of primary neuronal and non-neuronal cells, autoradiography, quantitative enzymatic assays (e.g., choline acetyltransferase assay, ELISA analyses of neurotrophic factors), and bioassays to assess activity of neurotrophic factors.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Students received in-depth training in behavioral techniques for evaluating sensory capacities and states of arousal. 

Trainee Participation in this Research:  The laboratory is designed to perform in vivo electrophysiological experiments on anesthetized rats. Surgical approaches include intracranial, intraspinal, and peripheral nerve/muscle. Facilities for performing chronic surgeries on nerve and spinal cord are present. Single cell recording (intracellular and extracellular) is performed in the brain and spinal cord as well as in somatic and autonomic nerves. Other methodology includes computer-interfaced data acquisition/data analysis, spike-triggered averaging, evoked potential recording, feedback controlled mechanical stimulation, and iontophoresis are used. Anatomical procedures on board include light microscopy (histochemistry and immunocytochemistry), scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Techniques for behavioral analysis of male rodent sexual behavior are available.

The inflammatory cytokines have profound inhibitory effects on the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis. We are investigating this action with special emphasis on the hypothalamus. Our endeavors are concentrated on elucidating the impact of cytokines on the complex interaction among the neuropeptides that regulate hypothalamic luteinizing hormone releasing hormone activity. We are especially interested in the activities of members of the pancreatic polypeptide, the endogenous opioid peptide and tachykinin families. The overall objective is to unravel the sequence of interactions among these regulatory neuropeptides as they alter hypothalamo-pituitary hormonal functions in response to the stress of inflammation.

The regulation of food intake by neuropeptides is being investigated with the aim of identifying the effective molecules, mapping the hypothalamic pathways and assessing alterations in their functional activity to account for drastically altered feeding patterns leading to hyperphagia and obesity, especially when it is induced by neural injury and/or neurotoxins.

Brief description of education interests and activities: Coordinator of Endocrinology Section of Physiology courses for medical and dental students; lectures in general and reproductive endocrinology. Member Dissertation Committee for graduate students in the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy. Training of Postdoctoral Fellows in neuroendocrine research.

Neuroendocrine Research: The long-term goal is to map the route of signal transmission responsible for the secretion of hypothalamic hormones that participate in the induction of ovulation and anovulatory infertility. These investigations include a detailed analysis of the interaction between inhibitory (opioids and tachykinins) and excitatory (neuropeptide Y, galanin, agmatine and nitric oxide) messenger molecules.

Brief Description of Other Research Interests and Activities:
Brain Control of Obesity: Since the discovery in this laboratory that neuropeptide Y is a naturally-occurring appetite transducer, we are continuing to investigate the role of this signal in induction of obesity. The investigations include neural and endocrine factors that regulate secretion of neuropeptide Y in the hypothalamus and underlying molecular mechanisms in the etiology of neurotoxin- and diabetes-induced obesity and hypertension. Finally, special attention is paid to the development of suitable agonists and antagonists for therapeutic application.

Brief description of education interests and activities: Education efforts include teaching anatomy, neurochemistry and signal modalities in the hypothalamic control of homeostatic process and pituitary function to graduate, medical and dental students. Postgraduate education includes training of postdoctoral fellows in molecular and neuroendocrine aspects of hypothalamic function. 

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Trainees develop behaviorally salient stimuli (facial expressions) and use psychophysical and other experimental paradigms to assess human information processing of affective stimuli. They also test patients and controls on a variety of cognitive and language tests in order to develop subject groups whose brain morphology is assessed quantitatively. They develop computer programs to make these assessments and learn enough neuroanatomy to make reliable measurements of cortical and subcortical structures involved in language and visual spatial function.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Trainees working on these projects will be able to learn a variety of techniques relevant to the biochemical basis of behavior including receptor binding methods (homogenate binding, receptor autoradiography), high performance liquid chromatography for neurochemical determinations, stereotaxic surgical techniques automated (e.g., startle) and observational behavioral assessment, tissue sectioning and microdissection by punch, and in situ hybridization.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Technical approaches available for students to learn in this laboratory include: protein analysis including SDS-PAGE and Western blotting; molecular analyses of genomic DNA and mRNA expression including engineering and characterization of antisense-producing retroviral vectors and plasmids; cell culture; hybridoma production and characterization; embryo culture; computer-aided analyses of gene and protein sequence data; immunohistochemistry; computer-aided image analysis.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Trainee participation in this research program will often entail training in techniques related to routine endocrine organ, brain and peripheral target tissue surgical isolations; routine biochemical, radioreceptor and radioimmunoassay procedures; routine chromatographic, electrophoretic, ultracentrifugation and in vitro incubation procedures; and a growing involvement with tissue culture and various recombinant DNA procedures. 

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Trainees will learn a variety of approaches, ranging from molecular biology to behavior. These approaches include: cloning and subcloning of genes into novel vectors with activity in postmitotic cells; neurochemical measurements of transmitter turnover and levels; oocyte mRNA-expression systems for receptors; primary and transformed cell culture; receptor binding and transduction processes; and memory related behavior.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Students trained in this lab are exposed to all the procedures listed above.

In development and regeneration, neuronal growth is guided by signals presented by glial cells and the extracellular matrix. We find Schwann cell produce both stimulatory and inhibitory signals for growth cone motility. We have isolated a chondroitin-, heparan-sulfate proteoglycan produced by Schwann cells which binds to and inhibits the neurite-promoting activity of endoneurial laminin. This proteoglycan is assembled into Schwann cell basal lamina and is greatly upregulated following crush injury of peripheral nerve. Similarly, inhibitory proteoglycan is abundant in injured spinal cord and brain.  My lab explores therapeutic means to enzymatically degrade and inactivate inhibitory proteoglycans from injured nervous tissues with the goal of improving axonal growth and functional recovery. We find that certain neurons secrete matrix-degrading enzymes which belong to the gene family of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP). For instance, peripheral sensory neurons secrete MMP-2 (a type IV collagenase). Furthermore, MMP-2 expression by sensory neurons is upregulated by nerve growth factor. We hypothesize MMP expression is required for growth cone infiltration of peripheral target tissues. Additionally, MMP-2 degrades and inactivates inhibitory proteoglycan, providing a physiological mechanim by which neurons can forge routes of regeneration.  This model of neuronal regeneration and growth cone penetration of tissues shows striking similarities to molecular processes implicated in tumor invasion through extracellular compartments.

Research goals in neuro-oncology pertain to the mission of the DNOL (Developmental Neuro-Oncology Laboratory) and include discovery of cellular mechanisms involved in glial tumor cell migration, invasion and proliferation. Using both in vitro and in vivo models, human tumor specimens are established in culture and examined for the ability to degrade extracellular barriers and to migrate in response to adhesive matrix components. Tumor fragments and characterized cell lines are then engrafted in animal hosts and examined for tumor formation and response to anti-invasive therapies.  These studies are applied to problems of tumorigenesis in developing brain and in Neurofibromatosis type 1.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Training is provided in research pertaining to neuronal regeneration or neuro-oncology.  Students in my laboratory become proficient in tissue culture methods as well as small animal surgery. Models of neuronal regeneration include peripheral nerve and spinal cord injury and subsequent examination of extracellular matrix expression, distribution and biological function regarding growth cone motility. Participants in neuro-oncology projects establish cultures from human tumor specimens are perform a variety of in vitro assays to characterize cellular constituents and to assess neoplastic properties.

A second major research focus in the lab is identifying the mechanisms through which nicotine-like substances can alleviate
some of the learning and memory impairments in animal models of dementia that resemble Alzheimer's disease. We are also
interested in models of nicotine addiction and developing possible therapies to help people quit smoking.

The second set of studies investigates how cocaine may interfere with the development of tolerance to the locomotor incoordinating effects of ethanol. So far, we have behavioral evidence that concurrent cocaine exposure will block the expression of ethanol tolerance. This difference is not due to pharmacokinetic factors however we are unable to determine whether the effect is purely behavioral (e.g. cocaine interferes with performance of ethanol tolerance) or whether it cocaine is actually blocking the cellular development of tolerance (e.g. interfering with the effects of ethanol on GABA or glutamate receptors).

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Students are trained to be familiar with four basic types of assays. Behavioral assays include daily treatment of animals with various routes of ethanol administration (injection, gastric lavage, liquid diets) or cocaine administration and assessment of the behavioral effects of these drugs including seizure sensitivity, stereotypy, locomotion, and simple learned behaviors. Neurotransmitter release assay involve determination of basal and evoked 3H- dopamine or 3H-GABA release from superfused slices of different brain regions. Receptor binding assays involve determination of the number and affinity of the various subtypes of dopamine, GABA and glutamate receptors using both tissue homogenate filtration methods and quantitative autoradiographic analyses. Receptor function assays involve determination of the efficacy and potency of drugs acting at a variety of release-modulating autoreceptors. Determination of the efficacy and potency of drugs affecting 36CI transport via the GABAA receptor/chloride ionophore.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Students trained in this lab utilize the procedures described above.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  At present, trainees in this research would receive training in psychophysical methods and in designs of psychological studies to analyze mechanisms of placebo analgesia as well as NMDA receptor and opioid receptor mechanisms of pain and analgesia in human subjects.  Studies of pathophysiological mechanisms of chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia, are also ongoing.  The possibility also exists for neural imaging studies of normal and pathological pain.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  The focus of research in this laboratory is electrophysiology, biophysics and signal transduction. Students in the laboratory participate in studies involving electrical recordings from excitable tissue. Techniques involve a range from extracellular recordings, to transmembrane microelectrode recordings, to whole cell patch clamp recordings, to single channel recordings, We also carry out intra- and extracellular perfusion to study signal transduction. We are also involved in cell culture and hope to move into the area of genetic modification of channels and receptors and incorporation of these into oocytes for electrical studies.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Cell culture for normal and diseased brain (hyperactive rat, Batten diseased brain). Receptor analysis, kinetics, pharmacology, Western blot. Molecular biology of the endocrine system; Southern, Northern, PCR, cloning. protein chemistry, sequencing, Ab production, gel electrophoresis.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Most students in my laboratory learn the following techniques in connection with tracing neuronal connections in rats: stereotaxic surgery and intracerebral delivery of axonal tracers, cardiovascular perfusion, histological processing including a variety of staining procedures, epifluorescence microscopy, neuroanatomical analysis of connection patterns, and photomicrography.  In addition, image analysis is utilized for quantification of various morphometric and densitometric parameters, and for three dimensional reconstruction.  Some students in my lab will become conversant with the comparative approach to studying the evolution of mammalian brains. We are also involved in behavioral assessment of spatial orientation in rats, social and mating behaviors in manatees, and use of the postcranial tactile hairs in manatees.

Trainee Participation in this Research: This research program embraces several areas of technical expertise to which all students associated with this laboratory are exposed. The main area of emphasis is on neuroanatomical methodologies such as: immunohistochemistry, conventional histology, neuroanatomical tracing methods, and electron microscopy. This is an important aspect of the program as it introduces students to the basic cell biology of CNS injury and issues that need to be addressed in order to foster functional recovery. Another part of the research effort is now focused on behavioral analysis related to fore- and hindlimb locomotion. A third area of interest in this laboratory centers on tissue culture methods for studying cell-cell interaction in vitro or for preparing specific cellular populations for transplantation. New directions also are becoming defined in relation to molecular and immunological approaches. For this purpose, postdoctoral fellows are currently being recruited who will be available for graduate student training in my laboratory.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Techniques that are available in our lab are concerned with anatomical, physiological and behavioral evaluation of the normal and the injured spinal cord. Most notably are: 1) intra-axonal staining of physiologically identified primary afferent fibers, dorsal horn neurons and motoneurons; 2) physiological recording from the spinal cord, ranging from surface recordings and ventral root potentials to intracellular recordings from motoneurons and dorsal horn cells; 3) transplantation of fetal tissue into sacrocaudal spinal cord, in collaboration with Dr. Paul Reier; 4) anatomical evaluation of the integration of fetal tissue with the adult spinal cord; and 5) behavioral analyses of the effects of sacrocaudal lesions and of transplants into the sacrocaudal spinal cord, in collaboration with Dr. Charles Vierck.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Students will learn how to take biological samples in relation to behavioral changes. They will learn chemical assays including receptors autoradiography, immunocytochemistry, and radioimmunoassay. Surgical methods include stereotaxic, and various peripheral (e.g., gastric, venous) surgeries, as needed.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Students in my laboratory currently have the opportunity to learn and use the following techniques in their research studies: Molecular biology techniques: cDNA cloning, cDNA and genomic library screening, DNA sequencing, PCR, quantitative reverse transcription PCR, Northern and Southern blot analyses, primary retinal cell culture, transient transfection analyses of promoter function, various aspects of viral-based gene therapy. Biochemical techniques: SDS-PAGE, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, Western blot, immunocytochemistry.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  A trainee could expect to learn biochemical techniques for analysis, purification and characterization of proteins. It is likely that immunological techniques such as the raising of antibodies and their use immunohistochemically to map the distribution of proteins of interest in tissues and in neuron cultures would also be used. Molecular biological and computer-based techniques to elucidate primary sequence, evolutionary and structural information will also be used when appropriate. Finally, we occasionally perform electron microscopical analysis of cells and biochemical preparations.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Trainees use a variety of techniques to address original hypotheses. These techniques include (but are not limited to) radioimmunoassay of neuropeptides and hormones, brain surgical techniques, behavioral assessment, assay of neurotransmitters and related enzymes, receptor binding assays and molecular biology methods. These techniques are applied to small animals and to in vitro cell lines including primary cell cultures, neuroblastomas and gliomas.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  In my laboratory students learn basic psychobiological techniques including: electrolytic lesion production, chemical lesion production (these include electrophysiological guidance techniques), nerve surgery, perfusion, histological tissue preparation, and histological analysis of brain and oral tissue. Students also learn a variety of behavioral methodologies including the temporal analysis of eating and drinking patterns, animal psychophysics, oral motor taste reactivity procedures, and conditioned taste aversion methods. In addition, students learn how to program and use computers to both operate instrumentation and analyze data.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  A variety of neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, pharmacological and behavioral techniques are brought to bear on these problems. Anatomical techniques include routine histological techniques, such as Nissl stains, myelin stains, and tract-tracing via horseradish peroxidase and fluorescent labels. Electrophysiological techniques include electromyography, population and unit recordings from nervous tissue in vitro, and electrical stimulation of CNS tissue. Pharmacological techniques include high performance liquid chromatography, injection of pharmacological agents into intact animals, and electrophysiological assessment of pharmacological agents in vitro. Behavioral techniques include time-lapse, slow motion, and frame-by-frame video analyses. Behavioral data collected include measures of gross motor activity, as well as fine-grain analyses of movements and their coordination. 

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Methodologies include: Primary brain cell culture; radioligand binding; analysis of intracellular messengers (e.g. CAMP, CGMP, phosphoinositide hydrolysis, protein kinase C); analysis of receptor proteins (Western Blots); analysis of mRNAs for receptors.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Students working in my laboratory receive comprehensive training in methods of analysis of behavior.

Trainee Participation in this Research: 1. We utilize neurophysiological analysis of spinal reflex excitability as a basic tool, alone or combined with stereotaxic procedures for microstimulation and recording from specific brainstem nuclei. 2. In collaboration with Dr. Paul Reier's Laboratory, we use spinal cord single unit analysis to investigate intraspinal transplant neuron and host neuron interactions.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Students working in this lab would learn methods of testing for sensory and motor capacities of primates, and they could also participate in related investigations of human patients with cortical injuries.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Students in this lab will learn special techniques for designing and carrying out biobehavioral research in preweanling rats. Experimental design techniques in developmental studies include the split-litter technique, as well as providing appropriately thermoneutral environments for pups at different ages. Pre-surgical techniques include cold anesthesia and inhalation anesthesia as well as adapting the stereotaxic instrument for use on animals with non-calcified skulls. Surgical techniques include transection of the brain and spinal cord at various levels; as well as implantation of indwelling cannulae in the brains of developing rat pups. Students will prepare drugs for intracerebral injection and carry out the injections. Behavioral measures to be learned include videotape analysis as well as the use of automated activity monitors with computerized data collection and analysis systems. Students will learn to perfuse, section, and stain immature brains.

Trainee Participation In this Research: Students involved with these research projects are trained to utilize a variety of techniques in order to gain a more thorough appreciation of the biochemical and molecular bases for interneuronal communication. Students are trained to conduct a variety of investigations in isolated tissue preparations, including methods to investigate drug-receptor interactions, generation of intraneuronal second-messenger molecules, and methods to assess the release of various neuroactive compounds. In addition, they learn sterile surgical techniques for intracranial implantation of microdialysis probes and associated techniques to collect and analyze CNS extracellular fluid from awake freely-moving rats for transmitters or other analytes of interest. All students learn appropriate analytical methods in order to measure substances of interest, including high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical or fluorescent detection methods and procedures to isolate and identify neuronal phosphoproteins.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Students are trained to utilize a variety of techniques to understand mechanisms for coding or modulation or plasticity of sensory and/or motor capacities. In all cases, this involves the design and implementation of behavioral tests for laboratory animals (primates, cats or rats) or humans. They learn to adapt and train the subjects, to program behavioral contingencies and acquire multiple channels of data, involving digital and analog signals representing behavioral and physiological events. They learn sterile surgical techniques for spinal cord and brain, including techniques of neural transplantation. In different experiments, the laboratory utilizes acute, single unit recordings or chronic recordings of EMG activity or evoked potentials. All students learn anatomical procedures for reconstruction of lesions and grafts, and most students are involved in anatomical investigations using immunocytochemistry.

Trainee Participation in this Research:  Trainees working in this laboratory will be able to learn a variety of techniques that are being used to investigate the mechanisms of ethanol neurotoxicity. This lab uses an interdisciplinary approach to this problem including the use of neuronal cultures, immunocytochemistry, quantitative morphology. Northern blot and in situ hybridization measurement of gene expression and measurement of changes in cellular calcium flux.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Students working with Dr. White learn sophisticated methods for testing visual and vestibular functions and interactions.

Trainee Participation in this Research: Students are trained in anatomical methods including florescent labeling and 3D reconstruction microscopy and image analysis techniques, neurophysiological methods such as multichannel data acquisition and analyses of single motor unit data or surface EMG data and EEG evoked potentials, extracellular recording techniques in the brainstem and acquisition and analyses of force measures. Students also learn laboratory animal and human subject protocols necessary to conduct these experiments. 

Trainee Participation in this Research: Trainees in this laboratory will have the opportunity to be involved both basic and clinical research on SCI and neural tissue grafting.  These studies will require each trainee to master a wide range of research skills, including: neural tissue microdissection, spinal cord injury and transplantation surgery, magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy, clinical assessment of neurological impairment in animals and human SCI patients, morphometric analyses, and biostatistics.

The Center for Neurobiological Sciences (CNS) coordinates, encourages and supports interdisciplinary research on the nervous system at the University of Florida. The Center provides stipends, through a training grant from the National Institutes of Mental Health, to students whose advisors are members of the Center. These stipends are intended to encourage the investigation of brain-behavior relationships. We provide a variety of educational programs for all students and faculty with an interest in the neurobiological sciences. The Center sponsors a local neuroscience meeting in the fall and a regional neuroscience meeting in the spring. We bring in a number of outstanding speakers for seminars throughout the year, and travel support is provided for students and faculty to attend meetings and present their work or to acquire new technical skills. The Center supplements departmental offerings with several formal courses in the neurobiological sciences, and forums are provided for students to gain experience with oral and written presentations of their scientific interests. The Center does not admit students into formal degree programs; these are offered by Departments of the University. The purpose of the Center is to enhance these departmental programs by providing broad perspectives and interdisciplinary research experiences in the Neurobiological Sciences.

The origins of our present cross-departmental research training program go back to 1957, when training efforts were informally coordinated between the Departments of Anatomy, Psychology and Neurosurgery. At that time the College of Medicine had been in existence for one year. This early interaction provided a program of study in nervous system for graduate students in Physiological Psychology and Anatomy, giving them anatomical, physiological and behavioral skills for neurobiological research. As Neuroscientists joined the faculty of different departments with evolving graduate programs, it became desirable to formalize an administrative structure to oversee interdisciplinary training in the Neurobehavioral Sciences. The University responded by officially establishing the Center for Neurobiological Sciences as the first University-wide organization for cross-departmental interaction. This was a pioneering venture for the University, in response to creative faculty members who anticipated the direction in which Neuroscience training must go. The formal establishment of the Center for Neurobiological Sciences greatly facilitated acquisition of training grant support from NIMH, which has been in effect since 1965.

The Administrative Board appoints the directors of the Center. The present co-directors have been members of the Center since 1965 (CJV) and 1970 (CVH) and have directed the Center's activities since 1978. The directors represent the Health Center complex (CJV) and the main campus (CVH). The number of faculty members has grown from the original 6 members to 46. There are 48 faculty associates of the Center, and an additional 56 faculty at the University with interests in neurobiology receive notice of the seminars and other activities of the Center. In addition to 7 students who receive fellowships from the training grant, 45 students participate in our training functions and therefore are considered as Center trainees.

All of the day-to-day operations of the Center include the participation of one or both directors, but none of these activities are dictated by either of us. We sit on each of the Center's committees, and all functions are directed by a committee or decided by a vote of the entire membership. The overall direction of the Center's program is discussed and conceived by the STEERING COMMITTEE, comprised of members who have been especially active and responsible toward Center activities (currently Drs. Vierck, Van Hartesveldt, Leonard, Reier and Stehouwer). Recommendations of the steering committee are then transmitted to other committees; every aspect of the Center's operation is conducted by a democratic process that involves a cross-section of the members or all the members.

The MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE (currently Drs. Vierck, Van Hartesveldt, Fregly, W. Dawson, Simpkins, Walker and Leonard) receives suggestions for new members from the entire membership. Associates of the Center are appointed directly by the committee and are then invited by the directors and notified of the purposes and activities of the Center and of the criteria for becoming a full member. The category of associate member is designed to include an individual in all Center functions, to give him or her the opportunity to become active in the Center and to meet the Center faculty. New tenure-track faculty with an interest in Neurobiology are offered Associate membership. Postdoctoral fellows and assistant research scientists who are working with Center faculty are also appointed as associate members. Postdocs remain associates during their fellowships, but research scientists can become full members.

Associates are nominated to become full Members if the committee feels that the person: 1) is conducting a quality research program, 2) has actively participated in the programs of the Center and 3) is genuinely interested in interdisciplinary collaboration and training of students. Following a successful review by the membership committee, each nominee is invited to submit a curriculum vitae for review and voting by the members. Because the committee conservatively nominates excellent candidates for membership, it is rare that a nominee is not voted in, once a vitae is submitted, but the process of reviewing and voting further familiarizes the faculty with the new member. Members of the Center are eligible to sponsor student applications for Center fellowships, and they are given preferential access to Center funds for travel and for sponsorship of outside speakers or visiting scientists.

Members of the CNS have their primary appointments within a number of departments at the University. These include: Anatomy, Physiology, Pharmacology, Neurology, Neurosurgery and Ophthalmology (in the College of Medicine), Oral Biology (In the College of Dentistry), Physiological Sciences (in the College of Veterinary Medicine), Pharmacodynamics (in the College of Pharmacy) and Psychology and Zoology (in the College of Arts and Sciences). Given this wide distribution of talent across the campus, the Center continues as an important vehicle for communications which lead to productive working relationships among students and faculty who are predisposed toward collaborative efforts.

The FELLOWSHIP COMMITTEE reviews applications by students and awards the stipends provided by the training grant. The members of this committee (currently Drs. Vierck, Van Hartesveldt, Heaton [chair], Berg, Hunter, Luttge, Thompson, Raizada, Stehouwer) represent each department that awards graduate degrees. The committee meets once yearly, after the students of Center Members are notified of the opportunity to apply for training grant stipends. Each member of the committee rates the students according to specified criteria, given information that is provided by the student on application forms. Each applicant is evaluated on the basis of: 1) their academic record, 2) accomplishments in the laboratory and their research plans, 3) fulfillment of Center requirements (the Medical Neuroscience and Behavioral Neuroscience courses and submission of an individual predoctoral application), 4) the behavioral relevance and interdisciplinary nature of their research, 5) their attendance and participation in Center activities and 6) a letter of recommendation by their advisor. Stipends are awarded only to students who have demonstrated their abilities in coursework and the laboratory - usually after 2 or 3 years of graduate training.

For administrative purposes, several categories of Center students are identified. In the fall of each year, the graduate advisors of the departments affiliated with the Center are requested to send us a list of new students with an interest in Neurobiology. These Student Associates are placed on our mailing list and are notified of all Center functions. The list of student associates is revised yearly, on the basis of attendance and interest in the programs of the Center. Because it is not appropriate for all of the students with excellent records to receive stipends from the training grant (e.g., because they have secured other funding or are ineligible as foreign students), any student who applies to the Fellowship Committee and is favorably reviewed is listed as a Center Trainee. All Center trainees must meet the requirements for receipt of a Center Fellowship. Trainees have preferential access to Center support of travel, for sponsorship of Center speakers or visiting scientists and for supplies to assist their dissertation research.

The ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE (currently Drs. Vierck, Van Hartesveldt, P. Anderson, R. Dawson, E. Meyer, Reep, Reier, Shaw, Sumners and Zengel) plans the program for each year and divides the responsibilities for organizing each function. The committee meets in the summer and fall of each year to plan and organize the programs in response to written suggestions from the members and students. The committee decides upon and schedules the major functions for the year, and volunteers from the committee organize each of these functions. The suggestions for individual seminars and visiting scientists are discussed; a list of speakers is generated, and sponsors for each visitor are identified.

The programs of the Center are oriented toward training but are designed to educate and facilitate interactions of both faculty and students. All students that are affiliated with the Center receive their degrees in established departments within the University, and the bulk of their course requirements are determined by those departments. In addition, the Center provides a broadly-based program of interdisciplinary training in the neural sciences that takes advantage of direct input from many of the Center faculty members. This, of course, is the mission of the Center - expansion of the resources for training well beyond the confines of any single department. Because each department represented in the Center presents a core curriculum, and because our goal is to enhance research capabilities, much of our program involves activities other than didactic courses. We do present several courses (vide infra), and we require that certain other courses be taken by Center Trainees (vide supra), but otherwise we fill important gaps in the departmental curricula.

An important skill that receives too little attention in the standard curricula is the ability to orally present research findings and handle questions on the topic presented. Accordingly, we provide a variety of opportunities for Center students to speak before a critical audience.

Neuroscience Nights. Each summer, all Center trainees and prospective trainees give a research presentation (20 min.) that is followed by a 20 min discussion. These are evening sessions, involving only 2 or 3 presentations, and refreshments are provided. The atmosphere is informal, and attendance is high by both students and faculty. Even if a student has not yet gathered sufficient data for a presentation, he or she outlines a research plan and rationale. The format of these sessions requires that the students organize their thoughts carefully and present the most important concepts or interpretations succinctly.

Little Society for Neuroscience. Each student and faculty member of the Center that submits an abstract for the Society for Neuroscience meetings presents their poster or talk locally, one week before the national meeting. Our local meeting requires at least half a day. Refreshments are provided, and the recent emphasis on poster presentations provides ample opportunity for in-depth discussions.

Nerve Net Meeting. Each year, the Center co-sponsors a regional Neuroscience meeting under the auspices of the North Florida Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. The North Florida Chapter was formed by the CNS and the Neurobiology program at Florida State University. Membership in the chapter is defined by attendance at the South-East Nerve Net meeting (SENN), and therefore includes individuals from other Universities (and states) in the southeast. The meeting was initiated by the Whitney laboratory and was held there from 1983 to 1987 (organized by Dr. Peter Anderson). Hosting of the meeting now rotates between the Whitney lab (at Marineland), FSU (in Tallahassee) and UF (held in Cedar Key). This two-day meeting emphasizes student presentations and includes both slide talks and poster sessions. The Center provides travel expenses for the students and for a keynote speaker from outside the north Florida region.

Apres Neuroscience. Each year, following the fall meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, the students and faculty that attended the meeting get together for an informal discussion. Each person gives a short overview of the poster or talk that most impressed them.

Another crucial skill that requires extra attention is scientific writing. Although the Center cannot impose upon the students' time with a variety of requirements for written reports, we do provide several important vehicles for training of writing skills.

Grant Writing Course. At the end of their first or second year, Center Student Associates take a 1-hour course that prepares them to write an individual predoctoral application. In a seminar format, the processes of submitting and reviewing grants are outlined by the co-directors, who have been members of NIMH and NINCDS fellowship and research review committees. The students write reviews of predoctoral proposals that have been submitted in previous years, and they conduct a mock study section meeting for evaluation of these proposals. The students begin writing their own proposals for submission the following semester (for an additional 1 hour of credit). The purpose of this course is to provide structure, incentive and assistance for the students to define their research goals in writing at an early stage of their graduate education. The fellowship application provides a basis for a dissertation prospectus that is submitted later to the dissertation committee. The students develop practical writing skills with optimal input and feedback: they critically evaluate other proposals before writing their own; their proposal is edited by their advisor; they receive feedback from the NIMH review panel; and then they revise and hone the proposal for their dissertation committee.

Efforts to expand the research experiences of students beyond the confines of a single laboratory and department involve a variety of programs and activities that: 1) provide frequent opportunities for communication with UF faculty and students they would not otherwise be exposed to, 2) offer similar exposure to visitors from outside the University and 3) provide direct counseling of students on their dissertation project by experts from outside the University.

The Center Seminar Series. We feel strongly that the students need to observe the ways in which successful scientists approach their work and articulate their results,and we accomplish this in a number of ways. We provide a stellar list of talks by well-chosen experts. Each visit is hosted by the laboratory that suggested the speaker, and the students are included in the process of organizing and entertaining the speaker. The visit includes several social events that are attended by students and faculty with an interest in the topic or techniques presented by the speaker.

Regional Meeting and interchange. The Southeast Nerve Net Meeting has been described above. This informal meeting away from the campus provides the optimum environment for faculty and students to discover and discuss mutual interests. Also, to maintain communications with our colleagues on the east and west coast of Florida, we have an exchange program of speakers for seminars and graduate courses. These efforts have led to collaborative research projects and to membership by Whitney lab and FSU faculty on the dissertation committees of Center students.

Journal Clubs. As a natural outgrowth of the influences of the Center, a variety of journal clubs have formed, to meet the needs of the students and faculty for active discussions of current research in their area of interest. The topics come and go from year to year, and they have been organized both by faculty and students. Currently active journal clubs are on: "The Spinal Cord", "Sensory Systems", "Developmental Genetics" and "General Neuroscience".

The Visiting Scientist Program. When requested by a student or faculty Member, a visitor is supported by the Center to introduce a new technique or otherwise assist with the conduct of a research project. The visits take a variety of forms, ranging from demonstrations or workshops that are attended by a group of students, to participation in experiments in a member's laboratory, to consulting on the research plan (e.g., on a dissertation committee) or assisting with theoretical modeling.

Travel to Meetings or Laboratories. Often a student or faculty Member will benefit more from travel to another laboratory or to a short course than from a consultation by a visiting scientist. Center support of this type of travel has assisted greatly in bringing new expertise or research directions to our Members. Also, the advanced students need experience with presenting their work and need exposure to the scientific community, and money for this purpose is often not available on research grants.

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