Neurobiology Program

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Neurobiology at a glance

Neurobiology research at Boston Children's Hospital spans multiple departments and disciplines, integrating basic studies of the nervous system with translational and clinical research endeavors.

Researchers in the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and many clinical departments housed in the Brain Center are investigating key processes in nervous system development, function and repair, with the primary goal of applying this knowledge to disorders of the nervous system that affect children. Much of their work is carried out in conjunction with the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Center (IDDRC) at Children's, funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center, located in the Center for Life Science building, studies fundamental aspects of function and malfunction in the nervous system, how the system develops, and its plasticity and responses to injury--using genetics, stem cells, molecular and cell biology, neurochemistry, electrophysiology, imaging and behavioral methods. Many of its faculty are also members of the departments of Neurology or Neurosurgery. Neurosurgery research focuses on the basic mechanisms of common neurosurgical conditions, such as trauma to the brain and spinal cord, brain tumors and conditions affecting nervous system vasculature.

The vibrant neurobiology community at Children's also includes researchers in several other departments and multidisciplinary programs. Major collaborations are ongoing with:

• Division of Genetics and Program in Genomics
• Developmental Medicine
• Neuroradiology
• Psychiatry
• Anesthesiology
• Informatics Program

There are also important collaborations with researchers in Cardiology, Pathology, Ophthalmology and the Stem Cell Program.