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Doctoral Programme in Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology

Modality
In-person
Branch of knowledge
Health Sciences
School(s)
International PhD School
Avenida das Ciencias, 6, 15782
Santiago de Compostela
Campus
Santiago de Compostela
Contact
pd.neurociencia@usc.es

This PhD Programme has the aim of train researchers in the fields of basic and applied Neuroscience, Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry, with an interdisciplinary approach. With this perspective, the programme includes researchers from different knowledge areas from the fields of Neurobiology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Clinical and Health Psychology and Psychiatry. It is an interuniversity programme, shared by the Universities of Santiago de Compostela (coordinator), A Coruña and Vigo.

  • Duration: 3 academic years
    RUCT code: 5600810
    Seats number: 18

    Title coordinator:
    Jannette Rodriguez Pallares
    jannette.rodriguez@usc.es

    Coordinator university:
    University of Santiago de Compostela

    Partaker universities:
    University of Santiago de Compostela University of A Coruña University of Vigo

    Xunta de Galicia title implantation authorization date:
    05/12/2013

    BOE publication date:
    11/03/2014

    Last accreditation date:
    22/06/2021

    ISCED codes:
    (720) Salud
    (420) Ciencias de la vida
    (0919) Salud (otros estudios)

    Desde el punto de vista científico, el programa de doctorado pretende formar investigadores/as, primando la interdisciplinariedad y abarcando áreas de la neurociencia básica, aplicada y la psicología clínica y la psiquiatría. Entre los mayores retos de la investigación está llegar a comprender el funcionamiento del encéfalo, desde el substrato molecular hasta las bases de la memoria, la inteligencia y la acción consciente; los mecanismos que las sustentan, y las estrategias de intervención más adecuadas para mejorar la salud y la calidad de vida. Con este objetivo, el programa incluye investigadores/as adscritos a diferentes áreas de conocimiento, encuadradas en los campos de especialización de la neurobiología, la neurociencia cognitiva, la psicología clínica y la psiquiatría, tal como refleja la denominación del título y recogen las líneas de investigación incluidas. Se pretende, por tanto, proporcionar la formación técnica y los conocimientos específicos para la investigación en los ámbitos mencionados, y facilitar un marco de interrelación con otros/as doctorandos/as que fomente la interdisciplinariedad. Se propone fomentar un espacio científico integrador de carácter multidisciplinar, que aborde el estudio del cerebro desde un punto de vista morfológico, estructural, funcional, computacional, y del desarrollo, además de su relación recíproca con variables psicosociales, con el fin de comprender el comportamiento humano, para facilitar el desarrollo de estrategias preventivas y terapéuticas frente a las principales enfermedades neurológicas y trastornos psiquiátricos. El estudio del sistema nervioso en general y del encéfalo humano en particular es una de las líneas prioritarias de investigación en todo el mundo. Uno de los mayores retos de la investigación es descubrir los misterios del encéfalo, desde el funcionamiento de las pequeñas moléculas que lo forman, hasta las bases de la memoria, la inteligencia, la voluntad y su interacción con el medio. El conocimiento del sistema nervioso permitirá combatir las enfermedades que lo afectan y mejorar la calidad de vida. En las dos áreas de psicología y en el área de psiquiatría que participan en esta iniciativa existe un amplio número de investigadores/as que soportan líneas financiadas y muy competitivas, sobre problemas de salud con amplia repercusión clínica y social como las drogodependencias (alcoholismo, tabaquismo, etc.), depresión, problemas de conducta en la infancia y en la adolescencia o trastornos de la conducta alimentaria, por mencionar algunos.

    The programme is expected to provide technical training and knowlege to research in these fields, and to provide a framework for interaction and relationship among the PhD students. It aspires to promote an integrative and multidisciplinar scientific space to the study of the brain, from morphologic, estructural, functional, computational and developmental approachs, as well as its reciprocal relation with psychosocial variables. This must contributes to the understanding of human behaviour and the developing of preventive and therapeutical strategies to treat the main neurological and psychiatric disorders.

    The study of the nervous system, and specifically the study of the human brain, is, at present, one of the priority areas in scientific research. One of the greater challenges is the discovering of the misteries of the brain, from its molecular functioning to the mechanisms supporting memory, intelligence or consciousness and the interaction with the environment. Progress in the knowledge of the nervous system must allow to fight against diseases involving it, and to improve quality of life. From the clinical perspective, this programme includes lines focused to the understanding, prevention and treatment of mental disorders from a biopsychosocial perspective.

    This Programme takes part from the 'Network of European Neuroscience Schools' (NENS), a structure within the FENS (Federation of European Neuroscience Societies) that offers information about postgraduate training in Neuroscience and promotes cooperation among European training programmes.

  • Candidates with Master Degrees in the fields of Neuroscience, Clinical and Health Psychology, Psychiatry or other biomedical disciplines can also be admited. The Programme is also open to candidates who passed two years of the of Specialized Healthcare Training provided by the Spanish National Healthcare and related with the PhD Programme (Psychology, Psychiatry, Neurology).

    Regard to candidates with other degrees considered in the art. 6th of the RD 99/2011 (foreign degrees, university titles obtained under previous regulations), the Academic Committee of the Programame have to report about their validity.

    Students with the following Master Degrees can directly access to this PhD Programme:

    1) University of Santiago de Compostela:

    • Neuroscience
    • Research in Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology
    • General Health Psychology

    2) University of A Coruña:

    • Neuroscience

    2) University of Vigo:

    • Neuroscience

    The Academic Committee can also admit candidates with qualifications in other scientific fields and with specific interest in some area of Neuroscience, if they satisfy the general requirements to access to the PhD training. If they do not possess all the required competences, the will have to follow complementary courses.

    Complementary Courses:

    Complementary courses, when needed, will be individually determined by the Academic Committee for each student. They will have a limit of 15 credits (ECTS) and will be coursed before or at the time of enrollment in the Programme.

    At a general orientative level, the next complementary courses must be completed:

    • Students without a master degree in Neuroscience who want to develop their research in Neurobiology: They will have to pass 9 to 15 ECTS (individually oriented by the Academic Committee) among the subjects related to Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology offered in the Master of Neuroscience (USC, UdC, UVigo).
    • Students without a master degree in Neuroscience or in Health Psychology who want to develop their research in Cognitive Neuroscience: They will have to pass 9 to 15 ECTS (individually oriented by the Academic Committee) among the subjects related to Psychobiology offered in the Master of Neuroscience (USC, UdC, UVigo), or among the subjects related to Psychobiology and to Behavioural Methodology offered in the Máster of General Health Psychology (USC).
    • Students without a master degree in Clinical or Health Psychology who want to develop their research in Health and Clinic Psychology: They will have to pass 9 to 15 ECTS (individually oriented by the Academic Committee) among the subjects related to the area of Personality and Psychological Assessment and Treatment offered in the Master of General Health Psychology (USC).
    • Students without a master degree in Neuroscience or in Clinical or Health Psychology who want to develop their research in the technological research lines (neuroimaging, computational models): The complementary courses will be assigned individually according to the previous training and the specific interest of research, among the subjects offered in the Master of Neuroscience (USC, UdC, UVigo).
    • Students gaining access to the Programme with a Bachellor Degree with 300 ECTS but without formation in research, will have to pass 9 to 15 ECTS devoting to research training in the Master of Neuroscience (USC, UdC, UVigo) or in the Master of General Health Psychology (USC).

    International students:

    Students with an unaccredited foreign degree can apply for admission to doctoral studies provided they can certify a level of studies equal to the Spanish official University Master's Degree and authorises the holder to access Doctoral level studies in the issuing country. This admission will under no circumstances entail the accreditation of the previous degree nor its recognition for purposes other than to access these courses.

  • Applicants to the PhD Programme in Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology must possess the following competences:

    1. Knowledge about the foundations of the nervous system organization and functioning.
    2. Ability, at the level of master degree, in some of the research techniques used in the fields of neurosciences and the study of normal and pathological behaviour.
    3. Ability, at the level of master degree, in the development and refinement of research protocoles in the fields of neurosciences and the study of normal and pathological behavior.
    4. Ability, at the level of master degree, in collection, analysis and interpretation of scientific data.
    5. To be able of aplying knowledge to search for solutions to new problems.
    6. To be competent to integrate data and to connect with researchers belonging to different fields in neuroscience.
    7. Ability, at the level of master degree, in oral and written scientific communication.
    8. Ability to adopt ethic perspectives in the application of knowledge.
    9. Advanced knowledge in at least one of the official languages in the area (Galician, Spanish), and enough English knowledge to manage to the research work (B1 level).

    If applications exceed the number of places offered, the admission will be prioritized based on the Academic Record.

  • Recogida de información y revisión bibliográfica

    • E2111A01

    Formación metodológica y técnica

    • E2111A03

    Formación en comunicación, difusión y divulgación de la información científica

    • E2111A04

    Formación en gestión de la investigación

    • E2111A05

    Mobilidad

    • E2111A06

    Participación en congresos y jornadas científicas

    • E2111A07
  • Desde el punto de vista científico, el programa de doctorado pretende formar investigadores/as, primando la interdisciplinariedad y abarcando áreas de la neurociencia básica, aplicada y la psicología clínica y la psiquiatría. Entre los mayores retos de la investigación está llegar a comprender el funcionamiento del encéfalo, desde el substrato molecular hasta las bases de la memoria, la inteligencia y la acción consciente; los mecanismos que las sustentan, y las estrategias de intervención más adecuadas para mejorar la salud y la calidad de vida. Con este objetivo, el programa incluye investigadores/as adscritos a diferentes áreas de conocimiento, encuadradas en los campos de especialización de la neurobiología, la neurociencia cognitiva, la psicología clínica y la psiquiatría, tal como refleja la denominación del título y recogen las líneas de investigación incluidas. Se pretende, por tanto, proporcionar la formación técnica y los conocimientos específicos para la investigación en los ámbitos mencionados, y facilitar un marco de interrelación con otros/as doctorandos/as que fomente la interdisciplinariedad. Se propone fomentar un espacio científico integrador de carácter multidisciplinar, que aborde el estudio del cerebro desde un punto de vista morfológico, estructural, funcional, computacional, y del desarrollo, además de su relación recíproca con variables psicosociales, con el fin de comprender el comportamiento humano, para facilitar el desarrollo de estrategias preventivas y terapéuticas frente a las principales enfermedades neurológicas y trastornos psiquiátricos. El estudio del sistema nervioso en general y del encéfalo humano en particular es una de las líneas prioritarias de investigación en todo el mundo. Uno de los mayores retos de la investigación es descubrir los misterios del encéfalo, desde el funcionamiento de las pequeñas moléculas que lo forman, hasta las bases de la memoria, la inteligencia, la voluntad y su interacción con el medio. El conocimiento del sistema nervioso permitirá combatir las enfermedades que lo afectan y mejorar la calidad de vida. En las dos áreas de psicología y en el área de psiquiatría que participan en esta iniciativa existe un amplio número de investigadores/as que soportan líneas financiadas y muy competitivas, sobre problemas de salud con amplia repercusión clínica y social como las drogodependencias (alcoholismo, tabaquismo, etc.), depresión, problemas de conducta en la infancia y en la adolescencia o trastornos de la conducta alimentaria, por mencionar algunos.

  • The main objective of this Masters degree is to train professionals and researchers in aquaculture; professionals with a solid recognised training at job level and researchers whose training allows them to carry out their research, with cutting-edge technologies, while keeping abreast of problems in production processing.

  • Title Reading date Authorship Direction
    Interaction between renin-angiotensin system and the a-synuclein aggregation and difussion processess Mención doctorado internacional 18/03/2025 Lucía Lage Pita Jose Luis Labandeira Garcia
    Antonio Dominguez Meijide
    Depression in renal patients on renal replacement therapy: assessment, prevalence and associated factors 20/03/2025 Lorena García Becerra Maria Isabel Vazquez Rodriguez
    Role of the Renin-Angiotensin System in the regulation of neuroinflammation associated with NLPR3 inflammasome activation and mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease models. Mención doctorado internacional 02/04/2025 Aloia Quijano Ocampo Jose Luis Labandeira Garcia
    Rita Valenzuela Limiñana
    DETECTION, RISK FACTORS AND APPROACH TO PERINATAL ANXIETY 21/03/2025 Alba Val Noguerol
    Development of a novel in vitro model of Alzheimer´s disease and its application to high-throughput screening assays Mención doctorado internacional 10/04/2025 Mateo Barro Fernandez Maria Isabel Loza Garcia
    Jose Manuel Brea Floriani
    Pain modulation mechanisms in patients with chronic pain: characterization and effect of transcranial electrical stimulation. Mención doctorado internacional 13/02/2025 Antonio Gil Ugidos María Teresa Carrillo De La Peña
    Noelia Samartin Veiga
    Dissecting the mechanistic and functional importance of RNA-binding proteins for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour growth and metastasis 28/02/2025 Selene Jiménez Vega Ashwin Woodhoo
  • Coordinator
    Jannette Rodriguez Pallares

    Secretary
    Ana Maria Muñoz Patiño

    Vowels
    Raimundo Mateos Alvarez
    Fernando Cadaveira Mahía
    Estrella Romero Triñanes
    Montserrat Zurrón Ocio
    Anton Barreiro Iglesias
    Ana López Durán

The contents of this page were updated on 09.22.2023.