About the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute

Established in 2003, the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute (ZNI) is an integral part of a broader USC neuroscience initiative promoting collaboration between researchers from diverse disciplines. Scientists at the Institute reach across boundaries to embrace methods and techniques from other fields of study, identifying new approaches to examine nervous system function so we may all better understand the underlying causes of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

The Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute was designed to foster interactions among the best and brightest. At this world-class center for research excellence, USC faculty, fellows, and graduate students study the brain from a range of perspectives, from the molecular to the systems level—applying their backgrounds in cell and neurobiology, physiology and biophysics, genetics, neural engineering, and cognitive neuroscience to influence and engage each other's views on neurogenetic disease.

ZNI scientists focus their collaborative efforts on vital human questions such as:

  • How does aging affect the brain?
  • How do hormones work on brain circuits?
  • How can we pinpoint individuals at greatest risk for diseases of the central nervous system?

The result is that both independently and collectively, the Institute's investigators are taking neurological science to new heights. Comparing the structural components of proteins, scientists are discovering commonalities behind some types of neural degeneration. Employing novel brain imaging technologies, ZNI researchers are identifying and mapping the relationships between complex genetic code and neurological disease, with the aim of translating these basic discoveries into early phase clinical testing.

An organized research unit of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute is housed in a five-story building on the USC Health Sciences Campus. At this state-of-the-art facility, basic and clinical neuroscientists work together to understand and ultimately develop cures for a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders including:

  • Alzheimer's Disease
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Autism
  • Bipolar Disorders and Depression
  • Brain Tumors
  • Epilepsy
  • Huntington's Disease
  • Multiple Sclerosis
  • Parkinson's Disease
  • Retinal Degeneration
  • Schizophrenia
  • Spinal Cord Injury
  • Stroke

Understanding nervous system function and dysfunction requires the combined expertise of outstanding scientists from a variety of disciplines. It is at the Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute that great minds come together, exploring new ways to enhance our understanding and improve the outlook for patient care in the future.