# Training Grant in Neurobehavioral Genetics

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2024 · $399,517

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
This is a proposal to renew a highly focused postdoctoral and predoctoral training program in Neurobehavioral
Genetics. Elucidating the genetic basis of diseases of the nervous system promises to transform our
understanding of some of the most prevalent, burdensome, and complex afflictions of humankind. The program
bridges several longstanding dichotomies; between nervous system mechanisms and behavior, between
neurology and psychiatry/psychology, between diseases and non-disease traits, and between humans and
model organisms. The program provides exposure to the science of neurobehavioral phenotyping to individuals
with basic or clinical science backgrounds And trainees, prior to their appointment, must commit to participate
for such a duration. To establish a balanced cohort and reflect the merge of the two training grants in
neurobehavioral genetics, which were previously funded separately by NIMH and NINDS, this program is
designed support 6 predoctoral trainees and 3 postdoctoral trainees each year. With the yearly appointments of
postdoctoral and predoctoral trainees and the two-year training of each participant, the overall group of trainees
in the program at any time is 12. The program stresses the importance of, and provides unified training in,
systematic delineation and assessment of nervous system phenotypes, including the integration of traditional
clinical and cognitive evaluations with recently available phenotyping tools such as neuroimaging and gene
expression profiling. The core curriculum of the program emphasizes phenotyping of the nervous system and
advanced genetics, and is designed to promote interactions between the postdoctoral fellows and their
predoctoral counterparts. A new curriculum element for this renewal is the support of a program faculty mentor
with statistical and computational expertise who provides program-wide support to trainees. Furthermore, we are
now aligning our training program with the highly successful UCLA Computational Genomics Summer Institute.
In this way, all our trainees will receive practical training by mathematical and computational scientists, receive
individual mentorship to advance their statistical and quantitative literacy, and obtain a thorough understanding
of rigorous scientific research of neurobehavioral genetics, which includes bioinformatics analysis of high-
throughput sequencing data and issues involved in large-scale data sharing. The program gains cohesion by a
neurogenetics seminar series and an annual program retreat. Intensive research experience with a mentor
chosen by the trainee constitutes the heart of the program. The ambitious goals of the program are achievable
because the program faculty is very strong in virtually all of the areas that are relevant to neurobehavioral
genetics, and because the faculty members have long embraced, in their research and teaching, the integrative
and cross-disciplinary approach that is at the heart of the program.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10890621
- **Project number:** 5T32NS048004-19
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** CARRIE E BEARDEN
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $399,517
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2004-07-15 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10890621

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10890621, Training Grant in Neurobehavioral Genetics (5T32NS048004-19). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10890621. Licensed CC0.

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