Knight Initiative News

New research by Institute affiliate Leanne Williams adds to the evidence that choosing treatment based on the neurological underpinnings of a patient’s depression increases the odds of success.

Researchers were able to see through a living mouse’s skin to its internal organs, supported in part by the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, simply by applying common light-absorbing molecules.

A collaboration between Institute Faculty Scholars Julia Kaltschmidt and Todd Coleman has identified a key step in nervous system control over gut motility, opening new opportunities for understanding GI disorders in premature infants

Study in mice, supported by the Knight Initiative, suggests that an experimental cancer drug boosted brain metabolism, restored memory, and improved Alzheimer's symptoms. This novel approach may offer a new way to treat Alzheimer's beyond targeting amyloid plaques.

Sergiu Pașca has figured out how to watch the human brain develop in real time. Next up: revolutionizing psychiatry.

This week on From Our Neurons to Yours, we talk with Leanne Williams about distinctive biotypes of depression revealed by brain imaging and AI, and the implications for therapy and mental health.

The APOE4 genetic variant, carried by about 20% of people, significantly raises Alzheimer’s risk. But should we boost the gene’s potency or suppress it? A recent discovery by Knight Initiative affiliate, Mike Greicius, may provide the answers we need.

Research by Kati Andreasson and colleagues suggests that a type of drug developed for treating cancer may hold promise as a new treatment for neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s.

A drug that restores brain metabolism in mouse models of Alzheimer's also improved cognitive function, according to research from the Andreasson lab.

A team of neuroscientists at the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience have zeroed in on a critical regulator of brain metabolism that may be over-activated in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Institute affiliates Brad Zuchero, Justin Du Bois and colleagues discovered that neurons require signaling from glia to become fully excitable, rather than by becoming excitable by default.

It may feel like you’re being more productive, but experts like Anthony Wagner say you’re not.

Time marches on predictably, but biological aging is anything but constant, according to new research by Michael Snyder and colleagues.

This week on From Our Neurons to Yours, we talk with Michelle Monje about her discovery that many cancers depend on nervous system innervation; she also discusses opportunities for novel therapies.

Groundbreaking research supported by the Knight Initiative for Brain Resilience at Stanford’s Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute deepens our understanding of how the amino acid taurine may help reduce appetite and prevent obesity.

This week on From Our Neurons to Yours, we talk with Sergiu Pasca about using new techniques for growing human brain tissue in the lab to solve a rare neurological disorder.

Wu Tsai Neuro affiliate Lisa Giocomo has been named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator in the neurosciences, along with 10 other Stanford HHMI Investigators. This award highlights her exceptional research and dedication to mentoring the next generation of scientists.

This week, we talk with "radical behaviorist" Kim Bullock about how virtual reality technologies could serve as behavioral therapeutics to enhance psychotherapy.

The Knight Initiative's Year-End Symposium and Research Showcase featured a wide range of promising new approaches to understanding brain aging, resilience, and neurodegeneration.

This week, we talk with Zhenan Bao about reverse engineering the remarkable properties of human skin to design new wearable devices for neuroscience.