Research Topics

As this gallery of featured people and projects illustrates, Picower Institute scientists study brain structure and function at scales from genes and molecules to cells, circuits and regions. They also study the behaviors and cognitive processes that result, and seek to uncover how disruptions at different scales can result in developmental, psychiatric or neurodegenerative disorders. They employ—and often invent—the newest technologies in their work. To learn more about any of these specific areas, click "Research Topics" above, select areas of interest, and you'll find relevant Picower people, discoveries and events.

Picower Professor of Neuroscience

The Tsai lab is interested in elucidating the pathogenic mechanisms underlying neurological disorders that impact learning and memory by taking a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the molecular, cellular, and circuit basis of neurodegenerative disorders.

Research Areas

Alzheimer's dementia, Down syndrome, Single Cell Transcriptomics and Epigenomics, iPSCs, Brain Rhythms, Neuroimmune interactions, myelination, ApoE, lipid metabolism, Neuronal DNA damage

April 23, 2024

Research Findings

Bursts of brain rhythms with “beta” frequencies control where and when neurons in the cortex process sensory information and plan responses. Studying these bursts would improve understanding of cognition and clinical disorders, researchers write.

March 22, 2024

Research Findings

Single-cell gene expression patterns in the brain’s motor and frontal cortex, and evidence from follow-up experiments, reveal many shared cellular and molecular similarities that could be targeted for potential treatment

March 15, 2024

Research Feature

To learn how the brain works, Picower Institute labs are advancing technologies and methods to watch it live as it happens

March 6, 2024

Research Findings

Stimulating gamma brain waves may protect cancer patients from memory impairment and other cognitive effects of chemotherapy, a new mouse study suggests.

February 28, 2024

Research Findings

Stimulating a key brain rhythm with light and sound increases peptide release from interneurons, driving clearance of Alzheimer’s protein via the brain’s glymphatic system, new study suggests.

January 18, 2024

Research Findings

Across mammalian species, brain waves are slower in deep cortical layers, while superficial layers generate faster rhythms.

December 20, 2023

Research Feature

Picower Institute scientists are using single cell genomics techniques to measure gene expression and produce unque insights into nervous system biology and disease

December 11, 2023

Research Findings

In mice and human cell cultures, MIT researchers showed that novel nanoparticles can deliver a potential therapy for inflammation in the brain, a prominent symptom in Alzheimer’s disease

November 16, 2023

Research Findings

A new MIT study finds that microglia with mutant TREM2 protein reduce brain circuit connections, promote inflammation and contribute to Alzheimer’s pathology in other ways

November 8, 2023

Research Findings

Under propofol general anesthesia, sensory input still reaches the brain, but signals do not spread. Results suggest consciousness requires cortical regions to all be “on the same page.”

October 31, 2023

Research Findings

An advanced closed-loop anesthesia delivery system that monitors brain state to tailor propofol dose and achieve exactly the desired level of unconsciousness could reduce post-op side effects

Li-Huei Tsai

In the brain, bursts of beta rhythms implement cognitive control

Movement disorder ALS and cognitive disorder FTLD show strong molecular overlaps, new study shows

Livestreaming the Brain

A noninvasive treatment for “chemo brain”

How sensory gamma rhythm stimulation clears amyloid in Alzheimer’s mice

Study reveals a universal pattern of brain wave frequencies

'Cellf' Expression

Nanoparticle-delivered RNA reduces neuroinflammation in lab tests

How a mutation in microglia elevates Alzheimer’s risk

Anesthesia blocks sensation by cutting off communication within the cortex

Anesthesia technology precisely controls unconsciousness in animal tests