Knight Initiative News

Stanford researchers have developed a deep learning model that transforms overwhelming brain data into clear trajectories, opening new possibilities for understanding thought, emotion, and neurological disease

The 12th annual Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute Symposium explored how our brains and bodies communicate—and what that means for our health and well-being

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia are devastating neurodegenerative diseases. Knight Initiative postdoc Yi Zeng is working to understand the role a central protein plays in both diseases—and whether it might point toward new diagnostics and treatments

The Knight Initiative’s Fall Symposium featured researchers building new molecular atlases of the brain alongside new updates on neurodegenerative disease and what might be done about it.

Research from Knight Initiative Director Tony Wyss-Coray's lab show that an Alzheimer's hallmark—myriad oily droplets in brain cells called microglia—may help connect several of the disorder’s better known but not well understood features.

Synthetic brain MRI technology is supercharging computational neuroscience with massive data.

Neurons are built to last, but with age, bad things can happen to them. Wu Tsai Neuro affiliate Katrin Andreasson's work shows a lot of it is triggered by what’s happening to immune cells outside of the brain.

Organizers of the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute’s 12th annual symposium share exciting new discoveries from the frontiers of the “gut-brain axis.”

Amyloid plaques have long been the focus of Alzheimer’s therapies. But Wu Tsai Neuro's Emmanuel Mignot and others are focusing on the stringy tangles of a protein called tau, the unsung second hallmark of Alzheimer’s.

The genetic variant APOE4, carried by one-fifth of the world’s people, substantially boosts Alzheimer’s risk. But scientists have been puzzled about how to reverse that risk: punch up the gene variant’s potency, or smack it down? Now we know, thanks to research funded by the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience.

With large-scale neuron recordings and sharper fMRI now routine, a new collaboration between the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute and Stanford Data Science aims to make sense of the surge in data.

Wu Tsai Neuro Faculty Scholar Laura Gwilliams is among those leveraging AI to drive remarkable advancements in science, while fostering a cautious approach to the application of the technology.

Untangling the complex connections between the gut, brain and microbiome to heal chronic GI conditions

Exploring the electrical connections between cancer and brain cells, Wu Tsai Neuro affiliate Michelle Monje is bringing hope to children with brain tumors.

Stanford Medicine researchers explain how sleep influences our moods and the ‘bidirectional’ nature of that relationship — plus how we can repair broken slumber to improve our mental health.

A decade ago, three generations of Stanford scientists banded together to publish a landmark study on one of the brain’s most prevalent structures. Today, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute researchers are discovering that myelin is key to just about every aspect of neurological health.

A team at Stanford, supported by the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience, is using the biology of recovery to uncover why some aging brains withstand stress while others quietly unravel.

Our brains and digestive tracts are in constant communication. When that communication goes off the rails, research suggests diseases and disorders can result.

A new generation of researchers at Stanford’s Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute is developing tools to modify brain activity for research and clinical applications—without drilling through the skull.

Juliet Knowles's research has recently shown that the brain can use adaptive myelination to perfect “skills” that are actually pathological, such as having seizures.