Molecular and Cellular

Picower Institute scientists probe the role of genes, proteins and molecules in the physiology and action of neurons and glia, including how synaptic connections change. To learn more about these or other areas of inquiry, select them under Research Topics and you'll find relevant Picower people, discoveries and events.

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

January 9, 2024

Picower People

At MIT’s Quantitative Methods Workshop, more than 80 students and faculty from a dozen partner institutions became immersed at the intersection of computation and life sciences and forged new ties to MIT and each other.

January 2, 2024

Picower People

Assistant Professor Linlin Fan launches a lab to shine a finely focused, innovative spotlight on the neural basis of encoding knowledge.

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

November 28, 2023

Picower People

Brown elected to 2023 class of new members of the oldest learned society in the United States, co-founded by Benjamin Franklin.

November 6, 2023

Picower People

The Krieg Cortical Kudos Discoverer Award recognizes Nedivi’s ongoing work to understand molecular and cellular mechanisms that enable the brain to adapt to experience

November 2, 2023

New Research

Picower Institute-based collaboration will study mechanisms that might enable peripheral immune cells to deliver a potentially therapeutic molecule to the brain.

November 1, 2023

Picower Events

Seed projects, posters represent a wide range of labs working on technologies, therapeutic strategies, and fundamental research to advance understanding of age-related neurodegenerative disease

October 30, 2023

Picower People

Society for Neuroscience Award recognizes Professor Mark Bear’s synaptic plasticity research, its translation to potential amblyopia and autism treatments, and his career of mentorship.

September 28, 2023

Research Findings

By analyzing epigenomic and gene expression changes that occur in Alzheimer’s disease, researchers identify cellular pathways that could become new drug targets

September 18, 2023

Research Findings

Neurons stochastically generated up to eight different versions of a protein regulating neurotransmitter release, which could vary how they communicate with other cells

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

Livestreaming the Brain

Starting off the year with new skills, new connections

New Picower Investigator advances optical methods to study learning and memory

'Cellf' Expression

Emery N. Brown elected member of American Philosophical Society

Award honors Elly Nedivi’s research on cortical plasticity

New grant to study possibility of an immunotherapy for autism

Aging Brain Initiative symposium showcases ‘cutting edge’ research across MIT

Mark Bear wins SfN’s Julius Axelrod Prize

Decoding the complexity of Alzheimer’s disease

Individual neurons mix multiple RNA edits of key synapse protein, fly study finds