Happy 2022 from The Picower Institute!

For inspiration about the year ahead take a look back at the many research highlights of 2021.

In Down syndrome cells, genome-wide disruptions mimic a senescence-like state

Neural progenitor cells with the typical number of chromosomes show significant outward migration in culture (left). The cells in the middle show untreated trisomy 21 cells. On the right is a culture treated with anti-senescence drugs, which restored migration.

Extra chromosome alters chromosomal conformation and DNA accessibility across the whole genome in neural progenitor cells, disrupting gene transcription and cell functions much like in cellular aging

In Down syndrome, the third copy of chromosome 21 causes a reorganization of the 3D configuration of the entire genome in a key cell type of the developing brain, a new study shows. The resulting disruption of gene transcription and cell function are so similar to those seen in cellular aging, or senescence, that the scientists found they could use anti-senescence drugs to correct them in cell cultures. Story continues>>

Research finds potential mechanism linking autism, intestinal inflammation

Moms infected during pregnancy who produce elevated levels of the cytokine IL-17a may have microbiome alterations that prime offspring for aberrant immune responses later in life, mouse study suggests

Though many people with autism spectrum disorders also experience unusual gastrointestinal inflammation, scientists have not established how those conditions might be linked. Now Harvard Medical School and MIT researchers, working with mouse models, may have found the connection: When a mother experiences an infection during pregnancy and her immune system produces elevated levels of the molecule Interleukin-17a (IL-17a), that can not only alter brain development in her fetus, but also alter her microbiome such that after birth the newborn’s immune system can become primed for future inflammatory attacks. Story continues>>

Study reveals a protein’s key contribution to heterogeneity of neurons

Round vesicles carrying glutamate seek to dock to the cell membrane by binding to SNARE proteins (blue and yellow). In tonic neurons (left) tomosyn (brown and orange) can intercept the vesicles and bind them instead, preventing docking at the membrane, which is necessary for glutamate release across a synapse.

Tomosyn’s tight regulation of neurotransmitter release distinguishes functions of two neuron classes at the fly neuromuscular junction

The versatility of the nervous system comes from not only the diversity of ways in which neurons communicate in circuits, but also their “plasticity,” or ability to change those connections when new information has to be remembered, when their circuit partners change, or other conditions emerge. A new study by neuroscientists at The Picower Institute shows how just one protein situated on the front lines of neural connections, or synapses, can profoundly change how some neurons communicate and implement plasticity. Story continues>>

Feast or forage: Study finds circuit that helps a brain decide

To keep constant track of neural activity, as indicated by calcium-triggered flashes of light, the Flavell Lab invented a microscope that tracks worms as they move.

By integrating multiple sensory inputs, a loop of mutual inhibition among a small set of neurons allows worms to switch between long-lasting behavioral states.

MIT neuroscientists have discovered the elegant architecture of a fundamental decision-making brain circuit that allows a C. elegans worm to either forage for food or stop to feast when it finds a source. Capable of integrating multiple streams of sensory information, the circuit employs just a few key neurons to sustain long-lasting behaviors, and yet flexibly switch between them as environmental conditions warrant. Story continues>>

Li-Huei Tsai earns honors for Alzheimer's research

On Dec. 2, Li-Huei Tsai received the IBiS 2021 Distinguished Investigator Award from the  Seville Institute of Biomedicine in Spain for contributions related to the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms involved in learning, memory and Alzheimer's disease that have opened new perspectives of therapeutic intervention in neurodegeneration. Santiago Romero-Brufau of Harvard University, an IBiS alumnus, came to MIT to deliver the award. Tsai also earned recognition in December from Expertscape, a company that methodically tracks publications to calculate whose work has been especially influential in different fields. Their sampling of the literature placed her among the top Alzheimer's researchers in the world. 

On Nov. 29 The Boston Globe ran an op-ed by Li-Huei Tsai identifying important gaps in Alzheimer's disease research, treatment and technology development. A more collaborative approach to better grapple with the deep complexity of the disease, and new approaches to de-risking commercial treatment development and clinical testing are needed, she argued.

In The Guardian, Earl Miller's expertise contributed to a poignant essay by a psychologist who laments the way social media appear to have lessened our attention spans and deluded us into thinking we can multitask. In other reports, Science Alert featured The Flavell Lab's recent work on brain circuits; both Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) and Drug Target Review covered the Choi Lab's research connecting autism and intestinal inflammation; and STAT News and GEN both reported on The Tsai Lab's discovery that neural progenitor cells mimic a senescent state in Down syndrome.

Young Picower scientists present projects at ‘SfN’

Wilson lab postdoc Wei Guo, employed calcium imaging of neural activity to show that over the course of training, with periods of sleep, more neurons become involved in representing spatial contexts, fine tuning mental maps of places.

Picower postdocs and students shared research on brain waves, new technologies, neural plasticity and psychiatric illness and, of course, learning and memory.

Even though the latest Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting was entirely online, it remained an important opportunity for young scientists to share their work with the world. Picower postdocs and graduate students presented numerous research projects at the conference. Story continues>>

Catch Li-Huei Tsai and alumnus Steve Ramirez in conversation about memory and Alzheimer's

For the MIT Club of Boston, science journalist Lauren Aguirre recently hosted an online conversation with Li-Huei Tsai, and former Tonegawa lab graduate student Steve Ramirez (now a professor at Boston University). Together they explored recent advances in the science of memory and the opportunities and barriers on the road from lab breakthroughs to treatments for memory disorders.

Earl Miller: "One Journey From 20th Century to 21st Century Neuroscience"

In a recent keynote lecture delivered at his undergraduate alma mater, Kent State University, Earl Miller explained how technological advances and ever-increasing knowledge have allowed the neuroscience field to attain a more holistic understanding of how the brain produces cognitive functions.

A note about events: Amid the ongoing uncertainties imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, our event schedule and details of each event are subject to change. Please check associated links frequently in advance of events that interest you.

Save the Date

"Two Decades of Picower Discovery & Impact"

All this year we are celebrating a huge milestone: The 20th Anniversary of the gift from Barbara and Jeffry Picower that made us The Picower Institute. Save the date of May 10 for our exhibition "Two Decades of Picower Discovery & Impact." Look for more information about this exciting program soon.