The field of neuroscience has emerged over the past 30 years from
multidisciplinary studies of the brain and behavior which were based
in the classical fields of psychology, chemistry, biology, and even
physics and mathematics. The common ground is the study of the nervous
system as the basis for all of our thoughts, movements, and
sensations. The new Neuroscience Department within the College of
Medicine and Public Health (COM&PH) was approved by the Board of
Trustees on July 2, 1999. It represents the culmination of many years
of neuroscience activity within the college and across the university.
Neuroscience at Ohio State has developed coincident with the rapid
growth of neuroscience in the United States and abroad, marked by the
formation of the national Society for Neuroscience in 1972. Since
then, the COM&PH and Ohio State have developed a reputation for
excellence in several aspects of neuroscience research through the
efforts of faculty in a number of departments and programs. The
university-wide interdisciplinary graduate program in neuroscience was
established in 1989 and has been gaining stature since then. That
program remains a university-wide unit. The Neurobiotechnology Center,
established in 1986, has served as a focal point for recruiting
outstanding molecular neurobiologists. Most recently, the campus-wide
Molecular Life Sciences (MLS) initiative has included a Molecular
Neurobiology area of concentration. The newest faculty recruits from
the MLS will be joining the new Neuroscience Program this year.
The Neuroscience Program in the COM&PH will serve as a focus
for neuroscience research and teaching related to biomedical sciences.
It will complement other units on campus that have neuroscience
components, including the Department of Psychology, the College of
Biological Sciences, and the Neurobiotechnology Center. The program
will partner with other units and clinical neuroscientists with a goal
of translating the products of basic cell and molecular biology to
models of human neurological disorders and to clinical practice. This
goal will build on the current strengths in developmental
neurobiology, regeneration, and neurotrauma research. Ohio State
neuroscientists serve on editorial boards and NIH advisory committees,
and the past president of the Society for Neurotrauma is a member of
the new program.
It is now possible to visualize the structure and function of the
living human brain and spinal cord. Selective Investment and matching
funding will allow a new and exciting expansion of neuroscience into
high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ohio State has already
pioneered the building and operation of the world’s largest
clinical research MRI unit. This instrument, which operates at an
unprecedented eight Tesla field strength, provides the opportunity to
develop new and as yet unavailable techniques for imaging brain
function and structure in both animal models and patients. A
collaboration between the Neuroscience Program and the Department of
Radiology is prepared to bring a senior neuroimaging scientist to Ohio
State to develop methods for the three-dimensional imaging of brain
metabolism in neurologic disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease,
stroke, and spinal cord injury. A team of molecular, cellular, and
systems neuroscientists will work to develop new insights into brain
disorders that can be used for early detection and evaluation of
treatment using the high-field MRI technology. These advances will
draw from the combined Ohio State expertise in neuroscience,
radiology, and engineering, and will be enriched by expertise in
psychology relevant to functional MRI.
Selective Investment in Excellence is meant to advance strong
departments and programs toward international prominence. Neuroscience
at Ohio State is ready to take that challenge. Through new
collaborations, a new program, and the explosive advances in basic and
clinical neuroscience, Ohio State stands to be a leader in new
technologies and treatments. The visibility and importance of advances
in neuroscience require that all major research universities develop
excellence in the field. The expansion of neuroscience at Ohio State
will build on the successes of the Neuroscience Graduate Studies
Program, the Neurobiotechnology Center, and the COM&PH efforts in
magnetic resonance imaging, and will bring new faculty, staff, and
students to campus. The benefits of this program will extend to the
people of Ohio at large through improved patient care, outreach
programs providing information and help to Ohio residents with
neurological disorders, and will likely stimulate the growth of
Ohio-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology concerns.
