The Future of Clinical Neuroscience: A View from the Bench

Here, I develop the argument that clinician-scientists crucially contribute to the translation of knowledge from basic neurosciences to understanding disease and eventually therapies. Invasive experimental approaches in humans are still limited. Therefore, the translation of insights provided by research in animals to applications in humans remains a formidable challenge and successes have been rare. In my own experience, my combined training as a clinician and as a cellular neurophysiologist have allowed me to work with animal and human models of brain function in which the neuron forms the basic unit. This has greatly facilitated me to conduct experimentation at a neuronal circuit level with the prospect of translating it to humans. I advocate, therefore, the creation of dedicated postgraduate programs in academic and clinical neurosciences to train the next generation of clinical-scientists. Such careers require a strong motivation, but will immerse trainees in a fascinating intellectual environment with a promise to contribute to fundamental insights that ultimately benefit patients.