The Center of Preventive Medicine, Neurosciences, & Social Psychiatry consists of the three separate Divisions of Preventive Medicine, Neurosciences, & Social Psychiatry and is the second most populous at BRF. The Division of Basic Neurosciences has been developed since late 2002. A unique feature of our combined expertise is the overriding focus on functional protein-protein interactions for gene and protein regulation and thus the mechanisms that regulate acquisition and maintenance of neuronal differentiation and neuronal survival. The importance of this research is also pivotal in addressing pathogenetic mechanisms and developing new therapeutic strategies in mental retardation, neurooncogenesis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and depression. The faculty of the Division has formed a cohesive team which aims to achieve the status of a Center of Excellence in Neuroscience Research and Advanced Training.

Our combined expertise has generated an extensive library of tools for analysis of protein function in neural cells. The experimental systems we use and are available encompass: almost every known primary neuronal culture system from both the CNS and PNS, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and microglia, embryonic stem cells, embryonic and adult neural stem cells, as well as an extensive collection of neural cell lines, naive or genetically modified to allow regulation of expression (tet off, tet on lines); protein expression (recombinant DNA, protein-tagging and isolation, organelle fractionation, siRNA, microinjections, biolistic transfer of all types of macromolecules, electroporation); protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions (chromatography, two yeast-hybrid; lipid blots, lipidomics); protein degradation assays; imaging in real time of protein expression in live cells; genetic cellular and organismal models of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other synucleinopathies, Neurofibromatosis, and cannabinoid abuse; and pharmacological organismal models of these diseases as well as relevant neurografting and neurotransplantation models and protocols. Our efforts towards our goals include established collaborations with scientists from the two major scientific areas that most impinge on the mission and research focus of the Division, namely Genetics and Nuclear Medicine, as well as with other groups nationally and worldwide.

The Division provides a major training ground in Neurosciences for pre- and postdoctoral students. Currently there are fifteen predoctoral students working with the Center faculty from graduate programs from several Greek Universities, and six postdoctoral fellows have been performing their research training in the Division. The majority of them are supported by grants from the European Union, USA, Greek funding agencies and International Private foundations, all awarded to faculty members of the Division. In addition, several undergraduates, supported by University-based programs, get their first exposure to research in the Neuroscience Division. Since 2003, the Division has established a weekly Neuroscience Journal Club, where trainees and investigators from the individual groups from Neuroscience Division and from other Centers meet to present their new results and discuss literature papers. We also run for the third year a formal Seminar Series which sponsors internationally known outside speakers, and have started a biennial international conference on Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders.

The Center of Medicine, Neurosciences & Social Psychiatry is composed of the following divisions:

- Preventive Medicine Division
- Basic Neurosciences Division