Environmental & Molecular Toxicology

Neurotoxicology

Neurotoxicologists focus on the actions and effects of chemical, physical and psychological agents on the nervous system and behavior. Mammalian species, including humans, are emphasized in this Curriculum. Research may take the form of assessing threats to human health, using agents as tools to understand the organization and vulnerabilities of the nervous system, or seeking relations between exposures and diseases of unknown cause.

Strength in neurotoxicology requires a foundation in the neurosciences and toxicology, as well as formal training in the subject discipline. To this end, the curriculum in neurotoxicology is an integrated concentration that draws on the strengths of the Neuroscience Program at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU, Portland, Oregon), the unique neurotoxicology and behavioral toxicology expertise and resources in the OHSU Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET), and the Toxicology Program at OSU (Corvallis, Oregon). The integrated approach offers the graduate student the necessary tools to explore various aspects of neurotoxicology—molecular, cellular, animal, human and population research—in an individually concentrated or interdisciplinary manner.

Students are required to take the toxicology core course at OSU during the first year. Neuroscience courses are taken during their second year within the OHSU Neuroscience or Behavioral Neuroscience Programs. Additional elective courses are available within these two programs for students who wish to focus on different sub-specialities of neurotoxicology (e.g. developmental neurotoxicology, neurobehavioral toxicology). Additionally, for the committed student with clear-cut goals, CROET can organize customized training in various aspects of neurotoxicology. Doctoral research is carried out in one or more CROET laboratories with advisory committee members drawn from both OHSU and OSU. Graduation is expected within 5 years of entering the program.

CROET's faculty in neurotoxicology has diverse interests (see croetweb.com). Three have formal appointments on the OSU faculty. Dr. Charles Allen employs neurophysiological and neuropharmacological methods to characterize in vitro the function and dysfunction of nerve cells in the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which regulates circadian rhythms in many organ systems. Dr. Bruce Gold uses primarily morphological methods to explore methods to ameliorate cellular damage in injury and disease models of the central and peripheral nervous system. Dr. Glen Kisby uses a variety of biochemical methods to illuminate the relationship between DNA damage and repair, neurocellular vulnerability, and neurodegenerative disease.

Other CROET scientists are able to accept OSU-OHSU Toxicology graduate students. For example, Dr. Peter Spencer and Dr. Mohammad Sabri employ toxicogenomics and other techniques to examine molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying organic solvent and other chemical-induced diseases of the nervous system. Additional CROET faculty are available to support basic and applied research on the nervous system and behavior in cells, animals, humans, and populations in normal and toxic states (see croetweb.com). Clinical scientists with training in nursing, medicine, and veterinary medicine are available to broaden student exposure to the role of toxic factors in health and disease.

CROET is supported by the State of Oregon Workers' Benefit Fund, by federal (primary NIH) and private sources. Two National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences center grant are housed within CROET: a Superfund Basic Research Center and a Neurotoxicogenomics Research Center. Collaborative research is carried out with various components of OHSU, OSU, and numerous regional, national and international organizations that serve to enrich the graduate student experience in neurotoxicology.

All enquiries should be forwarded to Dr. Peter Spencer, CROET Director and Senior Scientist, Oregon Health and Science University.

+ Only offered during the summer and is taken between year 1 and 2 to prepare students for Neuroscience core courses.