Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Program
The Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience (CBN) concentration focuses on studying biological substrates of behavior. Core and affiliated faculty study areas as diverse as neural control of behavioral development; brain systems in substance abuse; animal models of learning and memory and their disorders (such as Alzheimer’s); human brain systems involved in cognition, perception, human error, decision making, and movement; the relation of neural activity to human performance; and cognitive aging. A focus of the program is on translational neuroscience – complementary study of neural systems in humans and animals, including application of animal research to human behavior. Prospective students should review each faculty member’s webpage for more information.
The Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience programs (known as Biopsychology until Fall 2012) at George Mason offer opportunities to study with faculty representing many different areas of inquiry, using both experimental techniques in rodents, and several noninvasive imaging techniques in humans. For a full overview, please review the site and its links.
At Mason, Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience students also work with faculty in other programs- see the Neurosciences in Psychology site for links to those and descriptions of program interactions. The department offers an MA and a PhD with a concentration in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience. Mason undergraduates may apply to the accelerated MA in the second semester of their junior year.
