Physiology and Neuroscience

Research

Explore our Graduate Programs

Our Research

The Department of Physiology and Neuroscience has a longstanding record of excellence in securing NIH funding, consistently ranking among the top 5 recipients. This year, we’re proud to announce our #3 ranking. Our esteemed faculty lead pioneering research in various areas, including Alzheimer’s disease, neurodegenerative disorders, stroke, sensory systems and circuits, renal physiology, and the kidney-brain axis. Additionally, faculty members actively mentor master’s of medical physiology candidates as thesis advisors, fostering the next generation of scientific leaders in the field

Graphic showing the departments #3 ranking in NIH funding

Research Focuses

Janos Peti-Peterdi, MD, PhD

Peti-Peterdi’s research focuses on renal (patho)physiology, the role of kidneys in maintaining body fluid and electrolyte hemostasis and blood pressure in health and diseases, including chronic kidney disease, diabetic nephropathy and hypertension; kidney tissue remodeling and nephron regeneration; function of macula densa cells of the juxtaglomerular apparatus (JGA); and the role of podocytes in the maintenance and pathology of the glomerular filtration barrier.

Li Zhang, PhD

Zhang’s research focuses on representation and processing in sensory cortex, development of cortical organizations, formation and plasticity of cortical microcircuitry and neural basis for cortical pathologies.

Berislav Zlokovic, MD, PhD

Zlokovic’s laboratory focuses on the blood-brain barrier and neurovascular regulations, Alzheimer’s disease, ALS and stroke. Using animal models and studying human brain, his laboratory has shown that dysfunction in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and brain microcirculation can accumulate before neuronal dysfunction and contribute to the onset and progression of different neurological phenotypes and symptoms including cognitive impairment.