The secret that UAB is a great place to train in neuroscience research is getting out. The Department of Neurology has active research across each of its divisions that span the bench-to-bedside spectrum. There are many more opportunities for scholarly investigation than there are residents to take them, and residents are encouraged to engage in their curiosities and scholarly pursuits in ways that are meaningful for them.
Our Comprehensive Stroke Center in the Division of Cerebrovascular Disease is a member of the NIH StrokeNet. We regularly conduct clinical trials in the prevention and acute treatment of stroke. We have special expertise in neurosonology with one of the nation’s best trainers in the modality of cerebrovascular ultrasound. We also specialize in studies on recovery from injury at our adjoining Spain Rehabilitation Center and on the cognitive effects of cerebrovascular disease.
The Division of Epilepsy and its NAEC Level 4 center has a long history in the research of seizure treatments. We were one of the original sites to pioneer the use of levetiracetam, and we continue to investigate novel pharmacotherapies for seizures, including through our UAB Cannabidiol Program. Our many surgical cases often employ novel technologies and protocols. We also have one of the few magnetoencephalography (MEG) and magnetic source imaging (MSI) laboratories.
The Division of Memory Disorders and Behavioral Neurology houses our NIA-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Center that focuses on Deep South disparities. We are part of many national collaborations including the Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Consortium (ACTC), the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), the Alzheimer’s Disease Genetics Consortium (ADGC), the ARTFL-LEFFTDS Longitudinal Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (ALLFTD) research consortium, the Frontotemporal Dementia Prevention Initiative (FPI), the Alzheimer Disease Cooperative Study, and the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN).
The Division of Movement Disorders is a stronghold for research from the leadership of President Ray Watts and Dr. David Standaert, the Department’s Chair. We are leaders in Parkinson’s disease research and are an American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) Center for Advanced Research and a NINDS Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease Research. We are also a Parkinson Study Group site and a Michael J. Fox Foundation Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) site. The Neuromodulation Laboratory is funded through the NIH BRAIN initiative to advance deep brain stimulation (DBS) technology. We also have a Huntington’s Disease Society of America Center of Excellence and are an Enroll-HD site.
The Division of Neuroimmunology and Multiple Sclerosis has basic, translational and clinical research through its Comprehensive MS Center. Human studies in the MS Center are focused on how and why the disease begins, how it evolves over time, and patient outcomes. Discoveries made in the lab can validate new targets for drugs and other therapies. Physician-scientists at UAB have participated in clinical research to develop MS disease-modifying drugs since the pivotal study of interferon beta-1b in the late 1980s.
The Division of Neuromuscular Disease is home to the Shin J. Oh Muscle and Nerve Histopathology Laboratory and serves as a large biorepository for tissue-based research. Clinical investigation includes new therapies for treatment of Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome, CIDP and myasthenia gravis.
In the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, is the Division of Neuro-Oncology. We are a leading member site for the New Approaches to Brain Tumor Therapy (NABTT), and we have bench-based and clinical studies ongoing.
Research efforts in the Department of Neurology are supported in the context of multiple, collaborations on campus, including the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, the McKnight Brain Institute, the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, the Civitan International Research Center, the UAB Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, the Department of Neurosurgery, the Department of Neurobiology, and the NIH-funded CTSA in the Center for Clinical and Translational Science. Also, nearly all laboratories are connected by bridges or are located across the street from the hospital complex.
Residents are encouraged to participate in research activities as early as PGY-2. Most PGY-3 and PGY-4 residents present abstracts at the AAN annual meeting or other subspecialty meetings. The Department is committed to support residents’ research efforts, and any resident who presents an abstract at a major neurology meeting will be reimbursed for travel, registration, and other expenses. For residents who commit to a physician-scientist training path, our NINDS R25 award supports development of a long-term project and affords an opportunity for six months protected time during residency and two years of research fellowship training after graduation.
We endeavor to support all of our residents’ endeavors, and the Department takes great pride in their research accomplishments, as we push the field of neurology forward, expand our understanding and improve patient care.