A question for bio students

[glasscandie]

I suppose for those who have gone through the process of graduate applications, but other opinions are welcome as well. I'm undecided if my interest range is too large, and I was hoping to get opinions.

I'm interested in neuropsychopharmacology, as well as neuroimmunology. I know 100% I'm interested in studying the CNS, and it fascinates me the changes of behavior the different agents introduced into (or depleted from) the brain can have. Is this too broad of an interest for grad. school? Forget credentials for right now, I have a great GPA, great internships, great references, senior thesis, etc. It's really about school matching and interest areas for me at this point in time - I'm applying for a fall 2010 entry. I know specifically I'm interested in MDMA, but I wouldn't really be able to pinpoint an example for neuroimmunology because I haven't had research experience in that specific area.

Any opinions?

[Astaroth]

Most people's interests are pretty broad if they're still finishing their undergrad. You can hardly expect someone to know exactly what they want to do research on before they've done full time research in a lab, and this is one of the main reasons why you do lab rotations during the first year of your PhD. In fact, you would probably be constraining your options too much if you decide on your research field this early on in your career. The most I can narrow it down for my own interests is essentially cancer and molecular machines. I happen to have some more specific interests within those fields, such as cell cycle control, or the ribosome, but frankly these interests seem to change on a monthly (if not weekly) basis because of what I'm exposed to during the final year of my undergrad. Hence, I wouldn't say your interest is too broad, it sounds about right for the level you are at right now. If you're wondering where to do a neuro PhD... four letters: UCSD.

[glasscandie]

Thanks for the quick reply! That's a relief to know that I'm on the right track. I'm getting great research experience at my internship, I'm at Hopkins, but it's purely in the psycho-neuro pharmacology field - not neuroimmunology. I have been speaking with a researching in the neuroimmunology field who seems interested, and I was afraid of sounding like I was flip-flopping when I was asked if I was married to the idea of drug research.

My main specification is that I want to work with animals, particularly primates - I have experience with baboons and rats. I'll have to look at UCSD a little closer, and see if they have any research interests that match mine, thanks!

[DarlinClementine]

I think Arastoth has some good advice.

I'm in my first year of my phd program, doing my rotations, and I have some pretty specific interests concerning the development of the nervous system. I also have a specific model system I'm interested in. But I am actually trying to rotate through labs that study different aspects of the nervous system, or different aspects of development because I feel that what's important now is to get some "basics" about doing science, like how to answer a question elegantly and precisely and how to ask a poignant question to begin with. If I end up in a lab that studies exactly what I want, great! If not, I just want an advisor that's going to steer me in the right direction and not lead me down the garden path. I'm keeping in mind that I still have a postdoc to look forward to where I'll really have the chance to work on something that I am totally enamored with. And it's there that I will actually do the most work (relative to the work I do in my phd program).

[seunghwane]

There is no primate facility at UCSD.

I don't think there is one at Salk either.

For primates, I think Bill Newsome's lab at Stanford is probably the best bet but not for immunological questions in the CNS.

Carla Shatz at Stanford, however, is a great person for that, as her lab first suggested the role of MHC class I in the CNS.

I don't know if Caltech has primate facility but I know Paul Patterson works on immunological questions in the CNS.

Finally UC Davis has one person who works on a topic EXTREMELY pertinent- David Amaral.

He has shown in studies with monkeys and humans that autism is caused by antibody-mediated (IgG) loss of GABAergic neurons.

He would probably be a perfect person to work for but I would not go to any school based on one person.

EDIT: SALK DOES HAVE MONKEYS BUT I DO'NT KNOW IF THEY DO NEUROSCIENCE EXPTS IN THEIR MONKEY FACILITY.

[gadhelyn]

I agree, when I was finishing undergrad I did not know specifically what I was wanting to study. So taking that in mind (and a not so good GPA that I want to cover up with other nicer things), I spent the last 2 years working full time research, taking a class and attending many seminars in order to specify what field to which I wanted to apply. Definitely helped.

[ndufour]

There's so much in neuroimmunology that's fascinating to study! For instance, in the seizure-related disease Rasmussen's, it is believed that it is caused by autoantibody attack on glutamate receptors.

The crazy thing is that it's the result of molecular mimicry...you get a bacterial infection with bugs that use similar glutamate uptake channel proteins, and your body then starts to attack yours. the real question is, how do they they get around the BBB?

[DarlinClementine]

You might also check out University of Washington for their primate facility. Also, OHSU in Portland OR has a primate facility AND tons of immunology and neuroscience minded people.