PhD Field Indecision: Neuroscience or something else?

[ThatOne]

---

Members don't see this ad.

So, after a couple years of research in a prion lab and a year of research in a neuromuscular junction lab, I've come to the conclusion that I the more medically motivated research is, the more motivated I am. This is, of course, one of the biggest reasons I'm applying to MD/PhD programs.

Early in my undergraduate career, I was all about Neuroscience. The brain is just way too cool. When I read research though, there's a broad range of things that will catch my interest -- like many of the articles I read to supplement my Immunology course, or a recent article (in Delta's Sky magazine of all places) discussing the use of maggots and other creepy crawlies in modern medicine.

Is it abnormal for my interests to be so broad? Should I consider checking off something other than Neuroscience as my PhD field on AMCAS applications? While Neuroscience does seem plenty broad enough as it is, I've also heard it's one of the most competitive fields...

I've done mostly molecular/cellular level work, and I enjoy it a lot. I have considered doing a rotation in a lab that works on the larger scale when I get the chance to. Would that likely be a waste of time?

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

So, after a couple years of research in a prion lab and a year of research in a neuromuscular junction lab, I've come to the conclusion that I the more medically motivated research is, the more motivated I am. This is, of course, one of the biggest reasons I'm applying to MD/PhD programs.

Early in my undergraduate career, I was all about Neuroscience. The brain is just way too cool. When I read research though, there's a broad range of things that will catch my interest -- like many of the articles I read to supplement my Immunology course, or a recent article (in Delta's Sky magazine of all places) discussing the use of maggots and other creepy crawlies in modern medicine.

Is it abnormal for my interests to be so broad? Should I consider checking off something other than Neuroscience as my PhD field on AMCAS applications? While Neuroscience does seem plenty broad enough as it is, I've also heard it's one of the most competitive fields...

I've done mostly molecular/cellular level work, and I enjoy it a lot. I have considered doing a rotation in a lab that works on the larger scale when I get the chance to. Would that likely be a waste of time?

My personal distaste with neuroscience is that it is too specific, too narrowly devoted to the brain. Add to that the fact that neurology hasn't come up with many cures, mostly support. What also annoys me about neurology is that the diseases with a neurological basis are largely "1st-world illnesses" - like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. These diseases receive a disproportionate amount of funding while "3rd-world" diseases that kill many millions, like hepatitis B and C, Chagas disease, and malaria, receive very little funding.

Overall, I'd suggest you explore immunology. Immunology touches on AIDS and other immunodeficiency, allergies and asthma, autoimmunity (psoriasis, MS, Graves', Hashimoto's, Crohn's, myasthenia gravis, sarcoidosis, endometriosis, diabetes I, lupus, etc.), cancer, atherosclerosis (inflammation and foam cells), vaccines against biotoxins, and infectious diseases (including viral, fungal, bacterial, and parasitic).

 

[Vader]

It is TOTALLY normal to have broad interests. In fact, at this point in your career, it is valuable to learn as much as you can about a wide array of topics. One of the major benefits of doing the MD/PhD career pathway is that you will be exposed to a broad amount of medical knowledge and will have insights into many different organ systems and how these systems work together.

Some of the hottest areas of neuroscience are in areas that do not fall neatly within traditional boundaries. One example is the complex interaction between the nervous system (both CNS and PNS components) and the liver and pancreas to regulate energy balance, with clinical applications like obesity and diabetes. Neuroimmunology is another great area for those with an interest in the interface between the immune and nervous systems, applicable to diseases like MS, Guillian-Barre, lupus, and others.

Don't worry at this point about competitiveness of a particular field. For the purposes of MD/PhD training, you want to get an in-depth experience in doing science. When you learn to take care of patients during the last two years of medical school and then in internship and residency, you will be exposed to lots of potential areas for clinically-relevant investigation.

This is a very exciting time to be doing neuroscience research and thinking about the interface between the basic science and clinical medicine. Some of the highest-impact and possibly most clinically relevant neuroscience going on currently crosses multiple disciplines--all the way from molecular to cells to systems and behavior. I recently heard Tom Insel, director of the NIMH, speak about this very topic--he has successfully used multiple approaches to understand the neurobiology of social behavior.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions. As you can probably tell, I am very interested in both clinical and basic neurosciences and love to share the enthusiasm. 🙂

 

[ThatOne]

Thanks for the replies.