Overview

The Department of Neuroscience at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida has a vision to be a global leader in scientific discovery, innovation and translation to understand and cure complex neurologic diseases and transform treatments, diagnoses and management in diverse populations.

The department is at the forefront of a new era of research in aging, neurodegeneration and neurotherapeutics. The department is committed to understanding Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and ataxias. A combination of world-renowned experts, unique resources and productive collaborations among basic scientists, geneticists, neurologists and neuropathologists makes the Department of Neuroscience a leader in its field.

By using highly innovative approaches and cutting-edge technologies, paired with the creation of sophisticated preclinical models, investigators in the Department of Neuroscience seek to decipher the underlying causes of neurological disorders, develop new methods to improve diagnostic and prognostic assessments, and discover new therapeutic strategies. The more than 9,300 specimens available through the Mayo Clinic's Brain Bank in Florida greatly benefit these endeavors. These specimens consist of human cells banked by the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics to generate robust disease models, such as organoids, and from close collaborations with the Department of Neurology and the Department of Neurosurgery. These departments facilitate human studies and the collection of biospecimens. These resources are invaluable, as is the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, which promotes research and education about healthy brain aging, mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease and related dementia disorders.

The department, which is a crucial training ground for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, also houses the Neuroscience Track within the Ph.D. Program at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and offers training opportunities for students at various stages in their education.