Lieber Institute for Brain Development

Behind every diagnosis of Severe Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, or Autism is a person, a family, and an urgent search for answers.

Your giving helps us study and research in these focus areas.
✅ Psychiatric Health: Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, & Severe Depression
✅ Neurodevelopment: Autism Spectrum Disorders & Rare Genetic Conditions
✅ Brain Aging & Resilience: Protecting cognitive health across a lifespan

Click the link below to give today and make a real, impactful change in the fight against mental illness.
https://lieber.donorsupport.co/page/donate

We know astrocytes are much more than just “helper cells.” They actively influence how neurons communicate, process information, and respond to injury.

It's unclear exactly what causes Alzheimer's disease and other kinds of dementia, but we know there are genetic risk factors that make people more prone to developing the conditions.

Alzheimer’s has about 60% heritability. The Lieber Institute’s unique collection of postmortem brains gives our scientists access to brain tissue of all ages. By examining brain tissue at all stages of life, scientists are looking for signs and symptoms characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease at many ages, trying to identify the biological mechanisms of the disease in hopes of preventing and treating it.

Lieber Institute scientists use a cutting-edge technique called single-cell genomics to study the various types of cells in the human brain. They’ve found that about 10-20% of human neurons have complex genomic rearrangements that set them apart from a person’s other neurons. These so-called CNV neurons are uniquely susceptible to aging-related death. Lieber scientists are interested in how CNV neurons are active in schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Let’s talk about Developmental Biology.

Our goal is to normalize brain function in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. Our researchers study these disorders from multiple angles, combining insights from clinical research with advanced laboratory techniques to better understand how they develop. By examining the brain at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels, we can identify the biological changes that contribute to disease and uncover promising new targets for future treatments.

Many neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia, are influenced by hundreds or even thousands of small genetic differences. To better understand these conditions, our scientists create specialized stem cells from a patient’s skin cells and transform them into brain cells. These cells can be grown into both 2D and 3D models that closely mimic the human brain.
These innovative models allow us to study the underlying biology of disorders like schizophrenia in ways that weren’t possible before. They also provide a powerful platform for testing potential new therapies.

🧠 Today is World Brain Day!

At Lieber Institute for Brain Development, research doesn’t just expand our knowledge. It creates hope for individuals and families affected by neurological disorders.

This World Brain Day, we celebrate the scientists, researchers, clinicians, and advocates working tirelessly to advance brain health and improve lives. As a collective, we’re building a future where discovery leads to better outcomes for everyone.

For years, science looked at individual genes to find the root of schizophrenia. This June, our team co-led a massive global breakthrough proving that it’s actually about how genes talk to each other in vast networks. We mapped 641 newly recognized genes, giving us entirely new targets for future treatments.

Sign up for our newsletter to learn more about cutting edge discoveries and breakthroughs! You can subscribe by going to our website at libd.org.

Easier said than done, right?!

For people living with conditions like ADHD, schizophrenia, and depression, maintaining attention can be one of the biggest daily challenges. But what if scientists could identify the exact brain circuits responsible for helping us stay focused?

That's exactly what our researchers set out to investigate.

In a recent study, scientists discovered a specific communication pathway in the brain that plays an important role in sustained attention. By activating that pathway, they were able to improve focus without simply making the brain more reactive. Understanding how attention works at the cellular level helps researchers identify new targets for future medications with greater precision and fewer unwanted side effects.

The better we understand how the brain controls attention, the better equipped we'll be to design treatments that work with the brain instead of simply trying to compensate for it. You can read more about our work by going to our website at libd.org.

Summer interns are a great way to bring newfound curiosity and excitement into the lab. These six talented individuals are proof that our work doesn't end when we do. It lives on in the next generation of scientists.

Show our talented interns some appreciation in the comments! They provide incredible support to our research teams and ongoing projects!