Neuroscience research at UAMS is supported by extramural awards from a variety of federal and private funding agencies and is recognized as one of the institution’s areas of research excellence. Neuroscientists within the Division of Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience are recognized internationally for their research on Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, fetal alcohol syndrome, neuroendocrine regulation of growth and reproduction, neurovirology, and stroke.
The Center for Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience was established through funding by the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke of the NIH. This center serves as a centrally located resource for neuroscientists at UAMS, providing access to sophisticated equipment, and the research expertise of established investigators through Core laboratories.
The Histology and Image Analysis Core focuses on isolating cells or tissues and preparing tissues for immunocytochemical staining and analysis of digitized and captured images. Sophisticated microscopes and image analysis tools are available.
The Biochemistry, Cell, and Molecular Biology Core provides the tools needed to analyze changes in gene and/or protein expression and works closely with the Histology and Image Analysis Core in analyzing cells and tissues.
It is important to note that the majority of projects carried out by Center faculty can be classified into the general theme of neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, neurotoxicology, neuroendocrinology, and glial cell biology. The Core laboratories facilitate interaction among NIH-funded investigators and other neuroscientists at UAMS, and supports the development of programmatic research funding. Another major goal of the Center is to increase the number of NIH-funded grants by offering training, and advice.