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students who are interested in taking the challenges associated with the field of
medicine.
A person interested in entering the field of neuro-pharmacology needs to
have either MBBS or B. Pharmacy degree as a minimum eligibility criterion.

• Neuropharmacologists discover new medicines for the treatment of brain disorders,
such as stroke, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease.
• There is a serious dearth of Neuropharmacologists in India.
• Degree requirements include B.Pharm/M.Pharm/PhD with science
(biology/mathematics) in 10+2
• Toshio Narahashi is one of the founders of modern pharmacology and is also
known as the father of cellular neuropharmacology
• Find out more about the topic through Indian Pharmacological Society
http://www.indianpharmacology.org/

They can then do either M. Pharmacy (Pharmacology), M.S. Pharm.
(Pharmacology) or MD (Pharmacology). Additionally, to become a researcher in
the field, getting a PhD or a post-doctoral degree is usually recommended. There
are several educational institutions in the country and abroad which offer the
opportunity to enter the field of neuropharmacology. The list includes the chain
of NIPERs (National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research)
located at Mohali, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Raebareli and Guwahati,
UIPS (University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences) Panjab University, Jamia
Hamdard, Manipal, BITS, JSS, AIIMSNew Delhi and Post-Graduate Institute
(PGI) Chandigarh. In the absence of any common entrance exam, most of these
institutes carry out their own tests for the admissions. However, a
NET/GATE/ICMR fellowship holder is also entitled to get admission subject
to the fulfillment of the minimum eligibility criteria of these institutes.

Besides having a degree in the disciplines mentioned above, one needs
to have a good hand for the wet lab as experimental work forms the core of this
profession. It involves but is not restricted to the screening for natural and
synthetic compound libraries for their efficacy using high throughput screening
assays. Latter are highly efficient in detecting specific properties of the
compounds which make them a possible drug candidate for a particular
neurological disorder. These screened compounds are then tested in the cell-
based systems, which include a series of tests done on primary and secondary
cultures to check for the drug-like properties of these compounds. After this
step drug is tested in the different animal-based model system which includes
but is not limited to rodents such as rats, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs and hamster;
primates including monkey and other mammals like dogs and rabbit. All these
experiments are strictly regulated and have to be conducted in accordance with

♦♦Career Mantra♦♦ Page 95