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Opinion
Neurobiology as a Career
by
Pallavi Bhattacharya
 How
do fishes swim and frogs hop? How do children grow? How do astronauts
move in space? What kind of chemical imbalances cause various mental
illnesses? Is there a cure for the dreaded Alzheimer's and Parkinson's
disease? How do you improve learning and memory? If you want to actually
find the answers to these questions work hard to be a neurobiologist.
Neurobiology is ‘the branch of biology that deals with the anatomy and
physiology and pathology of the nervous system’. To put it more simply
neurobiology is ‘the biological study of the nervous system’.
Personality Traits
If you find genuine interest in observing animals in their natural
habitat, zoos, aquariums and museums and reading books on natural
history, biology and natural science- neurobiology may be the career
choice for you.
Where to Study
Professor Vijaylakhsmi Ravindranath, Director of National Brain Research
Centre of Haryana, advises, “To be a neuro-biologist, first an
undergraduate degree is needed in any of the sciences be it life
science, physics or mathematics. A Masters Degree must be attained in a
neuro-science programme before enrolling in a PhD programme in
neuro-biology. NIMHANS (the National Institute of Mental Health) in
Bangalore and National Brain Research Centre in Haryana are places where
one can pursue studies in this field.”
Nature of Work
As a neurobiologist one studies the nervous system and its development,
structure and physiology. The neurobiology of disease involves medical
research in understanding diseases associated with the nervous system.
Neurobiologists study the cause and treatment of degenerative diseases
like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy, strokes,
spinal cord injuries and mental illnesses.
To discover how the human nervous system generates behavior
neurobiologists often study animals that have exaggerated or specialized
sensory, motor or behavioral capacities. Eg: Leeches, molluscas and
arthropod nervous systems may have relatively few large neurons- their
function may be studied at the level of specific nerve cells which isn’t
possible in large mammalian nervous systems with billions of cells.
Studies like these may in turn provide essential information for
understanding mammalian neural function providing a research foundation
targeted at finding cures for neurological disorders. In the process
neurobiologists also find out interesting facts about animals’
locomotion, predation, feeding, reproduction, defense, aggression and
escape.
Employment Avenues
With a degree in neurobiology may give you the foundation of a career in
psychiatry, neurosurgery or neurology. One may look for employment in
pharmaceutical laboratories, education faculties, general research
laboratories, government agencies, and space exploration facilities.
Professor Vijaylakhsmi Ravindranath adds, “More pharmaceutical companies
in India are going in for drug discovery for mental disorders. In
foreign nations, specially the US, the scope is even brighter.”
December 10, 2006
Image under license with
Gettyimages.com
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