Undergraduate Studies

Tulane offers an undergraduate major in Neuroscience. Established in 2000, Neuroscience quickly became the fourth most popular and fastest growing major at Tulane. Over 400 students already have graduated with the B.S. in Neuroscience from Tulane and over 150 students annually are pursuing the degree. The objective of Neuroscience as a field of study is to understand the role of the nervous system in regulating physiological and behavioral processes. Advances in our basic understanding of the brain have been remarkable over recent years. This knowledge is leading to improved treatments and even cures for many neurological diseases. The major in Neuroscience is an exciting initiative in undergraduate education that provides Tulane students with the opportunity to focus on one of the most promising areas for human health in this century.

Neuroscience majors are encouraged to participate in active biomedical research in the University's faculty research laboratories. These experiences merge classroom learning with hands-on experience and allow close student-faculty interactions not possible in the typical classroom setting, enhancing student competitiveness for admission to graduate and medical schools. Majors in Neuroscience work hand-in-hand with Tulane neuroscientists, their graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and technical staffs on federally-funded research projects.

Tulane neuroscientists and their students are attempting to answer many critical questions such as:

• How do our brains store information as memory?
• How do the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease process information?
• How do neurons regulate the release of hormones involved in pregnancy, maternity, stress, and growth?
• How do neurons that control our muscles develop?
• What changes in the brain lead to drug addiction?
• Why do low oxygen levels impair neurons?
• How does the brain regulate pain?
• What are the genetic and molecular pathways regulating the development of the peripheral nervous and cardiovascular systems?
• What is the neurochemistry of specific viral infections?
• What is the structural and functional organization of retinal ganglion cells in the developing and mature retina?
• How can adult stem cells be used for the therapy of neurological diseases?
• How do attention, judgment, and memory biases help maintain pathological emotional responses to trauma?