Comprising the Fishberg Department of Neuroscience and the Kastor Neurobiology of Aging Laboratories, the Department is dedicated to performing groundbreaking research, to mentoring tomorrow’s investigators, and to providing a critical basic science component of neurosciences education at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The Department's research is carried out in nationally and internationally recognized laboratories, and is currently ranked #4 in NIH funding.

The Department of Neuroscience is engaged in investigating the nervous system at the molecular, cellular, systems and behavioral levels. There are also several research projects that are translational in nature, directed at the pathology of the nervous system, as well as the molecular and cellular mechanisms of neuronal dysfunction. Collaborations with the Departments of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Psychiatry, and Neurology focus on the mechanisms of aging and of psychiatric and neurologic diseases, respectively.

Department faculty form a large part of the Multidisciplinary Training Area in Neurosciences of the Graduate School of Biological Sciences. This Program represents one of eight training areas that compose the Ph.D. Program and the Ph.D. component of the M.D./Ph.D. program. Faculty serve as preceptors for a variety of research projects in neuroscience. As well, the Department collaborates with other academic departments to deliver comprehensive medical education through such initiatives as joint seminars, instruction at the residency level, and postdoctoral fellowships.