The PhD in Behavioral Neurosciences aims to train highly qualified young scholars with a high level of interdisciplinarity in all the various levels of interest in the neurosciences of normal and pathological behaviour, starting from the cellular, molecular and neurotransmitter systems up to the study and modeling of cognitive processes and the neurophysiological and neuropsychological bases of the higher functions and the highest levels of integration of the cognitive functions of the brain of non-human primates and humans. THE
Since the main objective is the training of scholars in the field of neuroscience with specific methodological skills, but equipped with an interdisciplinary theoretical perspective, the doctorate is divided into 4 curricula which allow the acquisition of specific theoretical-methodological skills, and a series of inter-curricular activities that encourage interdisciplinarity.
In particular, the Psychobiology and Psychopharmacology curriculum aims to train expert researchers in the various fields of psychobiology, psychopharmacology and biology, both basic and applied, who are able to operate autonomously at universities, public bodies and private entities. The curriculum's training process is based on a theoretical and experimental program consisting of seminars and laboratory practice in the field of the biological bases of behavior, the relationships between nervous structures and mental functions and the use of drugs active on the nervous system to investigate the function of particular structures or nerve nuclei. Particular attention is also paid to experimental investigation methodologies aimed at studying the cellular and system mechanisms of normal and pathological behavior, with particular attention to murine animal models.
The Behavioral Neurophysiology curriculum is aimed at training young scholars in the field of behavioral sciences, with particular attention to cognitive-motor functions and those more directly linked to the study of higher nervous functions. The courses and experimental activities are aimed at providing doctoral students with: 1. application knowledge of the investigation methods typical of behavioral neurophysiology, such as recordings of nervous activity from non-human primates during the execution of cognitive tasks; 2. multiscale analysis (LFP, SUA, MUA) of neuronal processes in decision-making tasks; 3. study of the spatio-temporal organization of efferent-cortical systems and the significance of this organization on the dynamics of the cerebral cortex; 4. characterization of the dynamic properties of cortical efferent neurons of the parietal and frontal areas in nonhuman primates. Therefore, the PhDs trained in this curriculum will have a solid theoretical and methodological preparation useful for their subsequent placement not only academically or in research institutes, but also in the field of neurorehabilitation, clinical psychology and neuropsychology and in those, emerging, neuroimaging diagnostics and neural control of artificial prostheses.
The Cognitive Neuroscience curriculum, deriving from the PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience which then merged with the PhD in Neuropsychology in the PhD in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, has the aim of training researchers who are experts in the analysis of behavior and cognitive functions, of the relationships between cognitive processes and affective-emotional processes, individual differences and the development of cognitive functions and behavior throughout life.
The curriculum provides solid theoretical-methodological training on the main cognitive and behavioral models and encourages the development of advanced skills in the development of experimental paradigms and interpretative models of higher functions in humans, through the use of experimental behavioral, psychophysical paradigms. and psychophysiological also through the application of stimulation (TMS; tDCS) and recording (NIRS) techniques.
The Neuropsychology curriculum aims to train expert researchers in the study of the neural bases of cognitive functions in normal and pathological conditions. The curriculum has a long tradition, having been established by Professor Luigi (Gino) Pizzamiglio as a doctorate starting from the 1st cycle of research doctorates at the beginning of the 1980s. The curriculum offers the opportunity to acquire skills in both experimental and clinical approaches in all areas of neuropsychology research. In particular, the curriculum provides solid methodological training on the planning and design of experimental research on control subjects and clinical populations for the understanding of the neural correlates of behavior and the development of neurocognitive models. It also allows you to acquire the skills necessary for the use of behavioral, neuropsychological, psychophysiological and neuroimaging techniques necessary for the study of human cognitive activity and the underlying brain mechanisms.
Among the inter-curricular activities, mention should be made of the Behavioral Neuroscience Conference (Rome, 19-21 June 2024), a conference organized by doctoral students from the 4 curricula, in which Italian and foreign doctoral students and post-docs and some internationally renowned scholars, who held main lectures. The conference was aimed at disseminating current knowledge in different fields of neuroscience and creating collaborations.
News