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THE PICOWER INSTITUTE

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
43 Vassar Street, Bldg. 46-1303
Cambridge, MA 02139
(+1) 617-324-0305
(+1) 617-452-2588

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Hundreds of crab-shaped, red-stained microglia, accompanied by the blue-stained nuclei of neurons, cover the field of view against a black background.
Research Feature
A Neuron's Neighbors
The field is called neuroscience, but neurons alone can’t operate your brain. Research is revealing how non-neural cells indispensably contribute to function, and why their roles can make them promising treatment targets in disease.
Read more
A white line art brain (as viewed from above) is in the foreground. The background is dark blue with lighter blue balls connected by sticks to other balls, representing molecules..
Research Feature
From Molecules to Memory
On a biological foundation of ions and proteins, the brain forms, stores, and retrieves memories to inform intelligent behavior.
Read more
A diagram shows hundreds of dots interconnected by gray lines. Many of the dots show combinations of different colors, denoting which serotonin receptors they express.
Research Feature
Better Living through Brain Chemistry
Studying neuromodulators such as serotonin and norepinephrine could help make them better targets for psychiatric or psychedelic drugs
Read more
On a blue background a profile of a head has sunny rays emanating from its center over ocean waves.
Research Feature
Consciousness
Emerging evidence shows how brain waves help to knit our internal thoughts and external awareness together into an organized, unified whole
Read more
A hand wearing a blue latex glove holds up a cell phone showing the image of a red-stained neuron
Research Feature
Livestreaming the Brain
To learn how the brain works, Picower Institute labs are advancing technologies and methods to watch it live as it happens.
Read more
A closeup on the right half of a sleeping woman's face is flanked on her right (our left) with white brainwaves extending across the image over a grey background
Research Feature
The Sleeping Brain
Neural activity during sleep has a signature structure that the brain uses to make profound improvements in our thinking and wellness
Read more

Events

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Aging Brain Seminar with Andrew S. Yoo, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine

ABI on black
Aging Brain Seminars / May 12, 2025
Aging Brain Seminar with Andrew S. Yoo, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine
Event Details

Aging Brain Seminar with Ramon C. Sun, PhD, University of Florida

ABI on black
Aging Brain Seminars / August 5, 2025
Aging Brain Seminar with Ramon C. Sun, PhD, University of Florida
Event Details

The Neuro-Immune Axis and the Aging Brain

A horizontal arrangement of three circles on a black background and framed with pale yellow stripes show colorfully stained cells in tissues.
Symposia / September 18, 2025
The Neuro-Immune Axis and the Aging Brain
Event Details

Neuroscience News

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The how and why of the brain’s division across hemispheres

Against a dark blue background there is a 3D cartoon of a head shown face-on. The brain with a clear division between hemispheres glows yellow through the apparently transparent skull
May 12, 2025
The how and why of the brain’s division across hemispheres
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Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

Neurons glow green against a black background in a section of a mouse brain. A few red specks can be seen. An inset magnifies one of these cells that has red and green staining.
April 28, 2025
Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten
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MIT Down syndrome researchers work on ways to ensure a healthy lifespan

A webinar screen capture shows a title slide for the webinar on the left and the four speakers in a vertical stack on the right.
April 24, 2025
MIT Down syndrome researchers work on ways to ensure a healthy lifespan
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A beautiful view of hundreds of different brain cells stained in bright colors
About Us
The Picower Institute is a community of scientists dedicated to understanding the mechanisms that drive learning and memory and related functions such as cognition, emotion, perception, behavior, and consciousness. Institute neuroscientists explore the brain and nervous system at multiple scales, from genes and molecules, to cells and synapses, to circuits and systems, producing novel insights into how disruptions in these mechanisms can lead to developmental, psychiatric or neurodegenerative disease.
Learn about what we found during our first 20 years
Aging Brain Logo

The tremendous need for research to address the burdens of the aging brain—memory loss, cognitive decline, and dementia—is what gave rise to an Institute-wide call to action at MIT, the Aging Brain Initiative. 

Learn More about the ABI
Two neuroscientists stand at a lab bench. One, wearig gloves and a white coat, works with a pipette
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
43 Vassar Street, Bldg. 46-1303
Cambridge, MA 02139
(+1) 617-324-0305
(+1) 617-452-2588

Social Media

  • Linkedin
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Threads
  • Accessibility
Subscribe
Please Choose One or More
From: https://picower.mit.edu/node/21