UCONN HEALTH
Neuroscience Department
Exploring Minds, Illuminating Futures
Neurobiology of Disease Research
Basic Neuroscience Research
Welcome From The Chair
Riqiang Yan, PhD
The Department of Neuroscience has a rich history of research excellence since it had been formally established by Dr. Richard Mains in the year 2000. Currently, we have 26 faculty members, who are actively funded their research from various sources including the federal grants and philanthropic support. Our faculty and their laboratories utilize an interdisciplinary approach to research with the goal of understanding the normal function and disorders of the nervous system that may hold the key to developing novel therapies. We nurture an exceptionally collegial academic environment with high level of interaction and collaboration among laboratories in the Department and with other laboratories at UConn Health Center and at the UConn Storrs campus, all of which make the Department of Neuroscience a vibrant and dynamic place to do science.
Upcoming Events
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Sep
10
Neuroscience Journal Club - Pathoulas 12:00pm
Neuroscience Journal Club - Pathoulas
Wednesday, September 10th, 2025
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
E4036
MEDS 6497 Neuroscience Journal Club
“Homeostatic microglia initially seed and activated microglia later reshape amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s Disease.”
Presenter: Joseph Pathoulas, Yan Lab
Course Co-Directors: Paola Bargagna-Mohan: bargagna-mohan@uchc.edu
Alice Burghard: burghard@uchc.edu -
Sep
11
Neuroscience Seminar Series - Byoung-Il Bae, Ph.D. 11:00am
Neuroscience Seminar Series - Byoung-Il Bae, Ph.D.
Thursday, September 11th, 2025
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Low Learning Center (UConn Health)
Sponsored by the Kim Family
“Unraveling Cerebral Cortical Development in Health, Disease, and Evolution through ASPM”
Presenter:
Assistant Professor
Department of Neuroscience
UConn Health, Farmington, CTContact Information:
More -
Sep
17
Neuroscience Journal Club - Mitchell 12:00pm
Neuroscience Journal Club - Mitchell
Wednesday, September 17th, 2025
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
E4036
MEDS 6497 Neuroscience Journal Club
“Acetylcholine modulates prefrontal outcome coding during threat learning under uncertainty”
Presenter: Alexander Mitchell, Spellman Lab
Course Co-Directors: Paola Bargagna-Mohan: bargagna-mohan@uchc.edu
Alice Burghard: burghard@uchc.edu -
Sep
18
Neuroscience Seminar Series - Alicia Che, Ph.D. 10:30 start time today 10:30am
Neuroscience Seminar Series - Alicia Che, Ph.D. 10:30 start time today
Thursday, September 18th, 2025
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Low Learning Center (UConn Health)
Sponsored by the Kim Family
“An Embrace for the Brain: Oxytocin and the Emergence of Social Touch Representation.”
Presenter:
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT**note special start time this week**
Program Resources
Helpful contacts and series of milestones as you progress toward obtaining a Doctor of Philosophy degree from UConn Health.
ExplorePhD in Biomedical Science
Our graduate students receive comprehensive interdisciplinary training in all areas of neuroscience and perform translational research at the highest level.
ExploreStudy Abroad Program
Held in Salamanca, Spain, this course is for graduate students in Neuroscience and Hearing Research and upper-level undergraduate students.
ExploreDepartment and Program News
- Neuroscience Faculty promotionsSeptember first marked a milestone for three of our faculty. Drs. David Martinelli and Ephraim Trakhtenberg received academic tenure and promotion to the rank of Associate Professor, while Dr. Stephen Crocker, who had previously been awarded tenure, was promoted to the rank of full professor. All three faculty, along with the other faculty in the […]Posted on September 4, 2025
- Hartford Courant & UConn Today feature Dr. Verma’s researchDr. Rajkumar Verma from the UConn Health Neuroscience Department and Dr. Raman Bahal from UConn’s Storrs campus have joined forces in the pursuit of novel stroke treatments. Their collaborative research, which bridges cutting-edge Stroke research and innovative therapeutic design, was recently highlighted in both the Hartford Courant and UConn Health news. To read more about […]Posted on August 18, 2025
- Renowned Stem Cell Expert Lecturing about MS repairDr. Stefano Pluchino, the pioneer of the field of regenerative neuroimmunology and professor from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., is the keynote speaker for the inaugural Petit Family Lecture and Visiting Professorship in Multiple Sclerosis and Immunology at UConn Health. The program is free, with registration required. […]Posted on June 3, 2025
- Dr. Imitola: First Stem Cell Medicine Course Available for FreeUConn School of Medicine Neuroscience Expertise and Leadership Contributes to International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and Harvard Medical School’s First Global Continuing Education Course for Clinicians and Medical Students. Dr. Jaime Imitola, co-led and is a co-creator of this major educational development for health care providers. Stem Cell Medicine: From Scientific Research […]Posted on May 29, 2025