Neurology

The largest training, research and clinical neurology facility in central New England, the Department of Neurology’s skilled  faculty are engaged in a number of funded research programs, including investigations into:

• the physiology of the primate visual cortex;
• the pathology of human neurodegenerative disorders; and
• the molecular genetics and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

The Department of Neurology acquaints students with diseases that affect the nervous system and equips them with fundamental skills in clinically relevant neuroscience, neurologic diagnosis and management. This instruction is designed for students entering all branches of medicine, since neurological disorders are common among patients in virtually every medical specialty.

During the first year, medical students learn neuroanatomy and physical diagnosis in courses that stress clinical correlations of neuroanatomic principles. A second-year neuroscience course, Mind, Brain and Behavior II, introduces students to nervous system disorders emphasizing observational methods, regional problems, specific diseases and clinical patterns. Clinical neurological problems also are explored in the second year.

The major portion of clinical neurology instruction is carried out during the fourth-year Neurology clerkship. Students spend one month on the inpatient, consult or ambulatory service at one of the teaching hospitals affiliated with the Medical School. Seminars and lectures covering the major clinical problems are conducted weekly and elective programs are offered in the department’s clinical and basic research laboratories.

Faculty basic research interests include the neurophysiology of vision, neurophysiology of respiratory and circulatory control, molecular genetics, structure and function of nerve and muscle ion channels, neurodegeneration, basis of circadian rhythms, neural stem cell biology and neuro-oncology. Clinical research interests include the neurology of aging and Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, neuromuscular disorders and cerebrovascular disease.