Psychiatric Disorders

Harvard and Broad researchers use 3D, miniature models of the human brain to advance disease understanding By Jessica Lau Autism spectrum disorder has been associated with hundreds of different genes, but how these distinct genetic mutations converge on a...

Harvard and MIT researchers identify possible mechanism linking autism and intestinal inflammation Many people with autism spectrum disorders also experience unusual gastrointestinal inflammation, but thus far scientists have not established whether and...

Scientists apply the “Perturb-Seq” method to a living organism for the first time Scientists at Harvard University, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and MIT have developed a technology to investigate the function of many different genes in many...

Research reveals how genes related to psychiatric conditions can influence group behavior in zebrafish Animals rely on group behavior to survive, whether it’s fish swimming together to avoid predators or humans sharing knowledge with each other. But...

Study reveals zebrafish make an unexpected decision when faced with conflicting opportunities By Jessica Lau When making decisions that are important to the species’ survival, zebrafish choose mating over fleeing from a threat. This decision, different...

Reproducible, miniature 3D models of human brain tissue open up new frontiers in neuroscience Summary Research led by scientists at Harvard and the Broad Institute has optimized the process of making human brain ‘organoids’ – miniature 3D organ models –...

Clifford Woolf wants to reboot drug discovery to find a new way to treat pain: effectively and responsibly. Woolf’s goal is to stop the opioid crisis by rejecting the conventional approach to drug discovery and developing painkillers that do not harm...

HSCI scientists identify a potential target for treating neuropathic pain Why do people with neuropathic pain feel pain from minor touches and other normally harmless stimuli? Setting out to answer this question, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI)...

Co-lead of HSCI's Nervous System Diseases Program Paola Arlotta and postdoctoral fellow Giorgia Quadrato have produced long-cultured brain organoids that have the potential to advance our understanding of brain development and disorders. Photo courtesy of...