Diseases of the nervous system pose a significant public health and economic challenge, affecting nearly one-third of Americans at some point in their lives, with a cost exceeding $500 billion per year.  Neuroscientists at Johns Hopkins focus on dissecting the molecular mechanisms that underlie diseases of the nervous system, with the hope that such endeavors will lead to better treatment options and prevention.  Sophisticated molecular and genetic techniques have produced exciting advances along these paths.  Faculty in the Program focus their research on the molecular and cellular basis of neurodegenerative diseases, neural systems and behavioral disorders, the genetics of inherited neurological and psychiatric diseases, as well as nervous system aging, with the ultimate goal of developing novel therapies.