Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences: Research Areas and Impact

The Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) stands as an interdisciplinary center committed to unraveling the fundamental principles of human learning, with the ultimate aim of enabling all children to achieve their full potential. Its mission is to be the foremost generator of new scientific discoveries about mind and brain development during the first five years of life, contributing significantly to both theory and practice. The Institute's vision aligns with the belief that the scientific study of the developing mind and brain represents the next great research frontier, anticipating discoveries in the coming decade comparable to those in genetics, biotechnology, and informatics.

Core Research Areas

I-LABS focuses on several key areas of development:

Language (speech, reading, bilingualism): Research indicates that children’s early language skills are predictive of future reading abilities, and skills not developed early are difficult to remediate later. I-LABS aims to develop tools to help parents support their young children’s early language and literacy skills, and to understand the role of bilingual language experience on cognition and the brain.
Social and emotional development (empathy, imitation, self-concepts, stereotyping): Social interaction and imitative learning play an important role in early brain and behavioral development. The development of self-identity, empathy for others, and self-confidence also depend critically on early environments.
Cognition (memory, problem-solving, mathematical and technical knowledge): Human cognition and innovation depends on memory, logic, mathematical reasoning, and the manipulation of physical tools and abstract symbols.

Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

Cellular and molecular neuroscience delves into the intricate workings of neurons, exploring how they are born, migrate, and form synaptic connections. This area provides insights into how synapses function and undergo plasticity, shedding light on the molecular underpinnings of memory formation in the brain. By studying the ways that neurons operate, researchers aim to understand how the brain develops and responds to outside stimuli.

The interplay of the complex molecular machinery of the neuronal membrane with the dynamics of electrical potentials is critical to understanding the synaptic contacts where neurons communicate with each other. This leads to important questions at the systems level. Disruptions of the molecular machines that underlie neuronal development and function are also at the heart of most neurological and psychiatric diseases. Cellular and molecular neuroscience is a deep mystery, but it brings exciting and critical bridges to other facets of brain and cognitive science. The focus in these important areas will help bring about new treatments for both neurodevelopment diseases like autism, as well as late-onset neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Systems Neuroscience

In systems neuroscience, researchers use animal models to emulate core cognitive processes. This allows for more detailed study of algorithms and neural circuits that produce the representations of the mind. Systems neuroscience studies the processes that occur within our central nervous system. Animal models allow much more precise study and intervention in the neural circuits that underlie higher cognitive function. Although these models do not capture the full mental abilities of humans, they are selected such that they likely share evolutionarily conserved neuronal processing mechanisms that will generalize to human brain function. This research is important to all aspects of our work. It provides detailed data that is used to build computational models of cognitive processes. These experiments are critical to building our understanding, as captured by computational models. Because systems neuroscientists seek to understand the basis for cognitive, motivational, sensory, and motor processes, their work overlaps with that of our other research disciplines.

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Cognitive Science

Cognitive science is the scientific study of the human mind. It is a highly interdisciplinary field, combining ideas and methods from psychology, computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience. The study of cognitive science within BCS illustrates the department’s philosophy that understanding the mind and understanding the brain are ultimately inseparable, even with the gaps that currently exist between the core questions of human cognition and the questions that can be productively addressed in molecular, cellular or systems neuroscience. To bridge these gaps, several cognitive labs maintain a primary or secondary focus on cognitive neuroscience research.

Computational Neuroscience

Computational neuroscience uses the tools of mathematics and computers to develop theoretical models that test and expand our understanding of the workings of brain and behavioral processes. The implementation and testing of circuits that are constrained by neuronal data but aim to accomplish the tasks above. Understanding something as complex as the human mind requires computational models that accurately translate the system’s internal workings. Models help us build formal bridges between any two levels of analysis. For example: from gene expression programs to regulation of neuronal connections (synapses), or from neuronal circuit connections to patterns of neuronal activity. As we work to build a complete picture of the neural mechanisms of the mind, it is necessary for us to link models of all levels. Models allow us to make predictions about behavior, to emulate key aspects of neural computations in other devices (brain inspired computing), and to consider the best ways to repair or augment key functions.

The Teenage Brain

The teenage brain is mysterious. “The Bezos Family Foundation is providing the rocket fuel to launch a broad range of innovative new studies,” says Andrew N. Meltzoff, Job and Gertrud Tamaki Endowed Chair and professor of psychology, who co-directs I-LABS with Patricia K. Kuhl, the Bezos Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Learning and professor of speech and hearing sciences. I-LABS is a world-renowned interdisciplinary center dedicated to discovering fundamental principles of human learning from birth through adolescence, with an emphasis on helping children achieve their full potential. I-LABS faculty, students, and postdocs study children’s brain, cognitive, social-emotional, linguistic, and motor development and how these different streams interact as the child grows. In the area of brain science, their primary tool is magnetoencephalography (MEG), a brain-imaging device that measures brain function. Through the new Bezos Family Foundation five-year $16 million grant, I-LABS will combine these neuroscience tools in innovative ways for a more comprehensive exploration of the human brain. “We believe that the brain undergoes a second transformation in adolescence, akin to what the young infant does in the first years of life,” Kuhl explains. Creating more impactful learning opportunities for children is a priority for the Bezos Family Foundation. Recognizing I-LABS’ role in improving learning outcomes for children, the Foundation has been a long-time supporter of the Institute’s work, including a previous grant. “To talk to the Bezos team about science is exhilarating, because they light a fire under scientists and share the excitement of achieving the next big breakthrough,” says Meltzoff. “The Bezos Family Foundation doesn’t want scientific discoveries just sitting on the shelf. In addition to the I-LABS grant, the Bezos Family Foundation is funding a Distinguished Professorship in Language Acquisition and Multilingualism in the UW Department of Linguistics for I-LABS scientist Naja Ferjan Ramirez, who specializes in research on the bilingual brain.

NIH Neuroscience Research

The NIH has over 180 laboratories spanning 14 Institutes, all conducting research in the basic, translational, and clinical neurosciences. Many of these laboratories and facilities are clustered together on the collegiate NIH campus in Bethesda; over 80 can be found in the The John Edward Porter Neuroscience Research Center alone. On this page are investigators throughout the NIH listed by neuroscience-research areas. Expand the research areas and click on the investigator names to learn more or click to see an alphabetical listing of neuroscience investigators.This vibrant, highly collaborative, interactive, and multidisciplinary environment offers researchers:Access to state-of-the-art core research facilities.Opportunities for trainees and researchers at every level, including pre- and postdoctoral research and clinical training programs.Scientific retreats; grant-writing and career development workshops.Dozens of topical seminars and events, as well as Special Interest Groups.To learn more about training opportunities in neuroscience at NIH, please reach out directly to investigators. You can also visit the NIH Office of Training and Education for more information about NIH training programs in general and search current Postdoctoral Opportunities in Neuroscience.Explore webpages for NIH Institutes currently conducting neuroscience research to learn about their individual programs: NCCIH • NEI • NHGRI • NIA • NIAAA • NIAID • NICHD • NIDA • NIDCD • NIDCR • NIDDK • NIEHS • NIMH • NINDS. Investigators by Research Areas Ion Channels, Transporters and Neurotransmitter ReceptorsCell Biology of Neurons, Muscle and GliaNeurogeneticsIntegrative NeuroscienceNeurological DisordersBehavioral NeuroscienceSynapses and CircuitsNeural Development and PlasticityFunctional and Molecular ImagingNeuroimmunology and VirologyNeuroendocrinologyClinical Neuroscience.

The Neuroscience Seminar Series

Sponsored by the NINDS, NIMH, NIA, NIDCD, NIDA, NIEHS, NICHD, NEI, NIAAA, NIDCR, NHGRI, and NCCIH, the NIH Neuroscience Seminar Series features lectures and discussions with leading neuroscientists. The series offers seminars on aspects of molecular, cellular, developmental and cognitive neuroscience, as well as neuroscience related topics in disease, pain, and genetics. The series is additionally supported with coffee networking sessions and a Fellows' luncheon by the NIH Neuroscience Scientific Directors, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, and the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences. Unless otherwise noted on the schedule, seminars are in-person taking place most Mondays from September through June, from Noon to 1:00 pm, and are held on the Bethesda campus in the Porter Neuroscience Bldg. (Bldg. 35A), Room 620/630. If you have questions, or need reasonable accommodations, please contact the NINDS Office of Scientific Director. Many thanks to the planning committee, led by Dr. Alex Chesler of NCCIH, for organizing the seminar series and supporting the neuroscience community.

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Seminar Line-up for September to December

09/08/2025 Noon - 1pm: A Central Pattern Generator Circuit for Walking in Drosophila. John Tuthill, Ph.D., Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Physiology & Biophysics, University of Washington. Host: Sam Asinof, Ph.D., NIMH
09/29/2025 Noon - 1pm: Mechanisms Regulating Fate and Maturation of Forebrain Interneurons. Timothy J. Petros, Ph.D., Section on Cellular and Molecular Neurodevelopment, NICHD.
10/06/2025 Noon - 1pm: Imaging Neuronal Activity in vivo at high Spatiotemporal Resolution. Na Ji, Ph.D., Professor, University of California, Berkeley. Host: Kevin Liu, Ph.D., NIDCR
11/03/2025 Noon - 1pm: Neural Control of Foraging and Food Intake: From Circuits to Behavior. Nilay Yapici, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigator Co-Director of Cornell Neurotech, Cornell University. Host: Michael J. Krashes, Ph.D., NIDDK
11/10/2025 Noon - 1pm: Post-transcriptional Mechanisms of Neuronal Development and Function. Giordano Lippi, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Scripps Research. Host: Alex Chesler, Ph.D., NCCIH
11/24/2025 Noon - 1pm: Why Don’t Oligodendrocytes Myelinate Neuronal Soma? Sarah Kucenas, Ph.D., Professor, Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine. Host: Harold Burgess, Ph.D., NICHD
12/01/2025 Noon - 1pm: Uncovering Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration by CRISPR-based Functional Genomics. Martin Kampmann, Ph.D., Professor, Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences. Host: Priyanka Narayan, Ph.D, NIDDK
12/08/2025 Noon - 1pm: Building our Brains: From Development to Evolution. Debra Silver, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Cell Biology, & Neurobiology, Investigator in the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University. Host: Timothy Petros, Ph.D., NICHD
12/15/2025 Noon - 1pm: The Role of APOE and the Immune Response in Amyloid-induced Tauopathy and Tau-mediated Neurodegeneration. David Holtzman, M.D., Barbara Burton and Reuben M. Morriss III Distinguished Professor, Scientific Director, Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, Dept. of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine. Host: Priyanka Narayan, Ph.D, NIDDK

Seminar Line-up for January to March

01/05/2026 Noon - 1pm: tba. Joy Yu Zuchero, Ph.D., Denali Therapeutics. Host: Claire Le Pichon, Ph.D., NICHD
01/12/2026 Noon - 1pm: Origins of the Cortical Sensorimotor-Association Axis and Human Cognition. Nenad Sestan, M.D., Ph.D., Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of NeuroscienceProfessor of Comparative Medicine, of Genetics and of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine. Host: David Leopold, Ph.D., NIMH
01/26/2026 Noon - 1pm: Hunger accelerates learning through enhancing a movement-specific dopamine signal that is modulated by spatial proximity to rewards. Erin Calipari, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Director of Vanderbilt Center for Addiction ResearchAssociate Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Vanderbilt Brain InstituteVanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation. Host: Hugo Tejada, Ph.D., NIMH
02/02/2026 Noon - 1pm: Neurophysiology of hibernation: The solution to environmental challenges. Elena Gracheva, Ph.D., Professor of Cellular and Molecular Physiology and of Neuroscience, Yale University. Host: Alex Chesler, Ph.D., NCCIH
02/09/2026 Noon - 1pm: Computational mechanisms that reshape the dynamics of neural activity and behavior. Ann Kennedy, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Scripps Research. Host: Ariel Levine, Ph.D., NINDS
02/23/2026 Noon - 1pm: Chethan Pandarinath, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University & Georgia Institute of Technology. Host: Mark Wagner, Ph.D., NINDS
03/09/2026 Noon - 1pm: Molecular mechanisms of synapse and myelin development, plasticity, and repair: insights from the inner ear and prefrontal cortex. Gabriel Corfas, Ph.D., Director, Kresge Hearing Research InstituteThe Lynn and Ruth Townsend Professor of Communication DisordersFaculty Mentor, Neuroscience Graduate ProgramKresge Hearing Research Institute, University of Michigan. Host: Wade Chien, M.D., NIDCD
03/16/2026 Noon - 1pm: Mechanotransduction in Auditory Hair Cells: A Tale of Two Channels. Jeff Holt, Ph.D., Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School. Host: Angela Ballesteros, Ph.D., NIDCD
03/23/2026 Noon - 1pm: Sensorimotor circuits for dexterous movement. Eiman Azim, Ph.D., Associate Professor, William Scandling Developmental Chair, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Host: Ariel Levine, Ph.D., NINDS
03/30/2026 Noon - 1pm: Electrical synapse proteome reveals mechanisms of assembly. Adam Miller, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biology, Neuroscience, University of Oregon. Host: Katie Kindt, Ph.D., NIDCD

Seminar Line-up for April to June

04/06/2026 Noon - 1pm: Translating Transcriptomics to Connectomics at Retinotectal Synapses. Xin Duan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of California, San Francisco Department of Ophthalmology. Host: Kevin Liu, Ph.D., NIDCR
04/13/2026 Noon - 1pm: Developing CRISPR Gene Therapy for FTD/ALS. Claire Clelland, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, NeurologyUniversity of California, San Francisco Weill Institute for Neurosciences. Host: Claire Le Pichon, Ph.D., NICHD
04/27/2026 Noon - 1pm: Are you my mother? Olfactory gating of dopamine neurons controls infant begging behavior. Lauren O'Connell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biology, Stanford University. Host: Harry Burgess, Ph.D., NICHD
05/04/2026 Noon - 1pm: Understanding the life cycle of TDP-43 in neurodegeneration. Magdalini Polymenidou, Ph.D., Professor of Biomedicine, Department of Quantitative Biomedicine, University of Zurich. Host: Claire Le Pichon, Ph.D., NICHD
05/11/2026 Noon - 1pm: Neural circuits for social memory behaviors. Steven Siegelbaum, Ph.D. Gerald D.

Community Connections

Creating community connections is driven through Translation, Outreach and Education (TOE) branch.

The Allen Institute

The mission of the Allen Institute is to understand the principles that govern life, and to advance health. We accelerate foundational research, catalyze bold ideas, develop tools and models, and openly share our science to make a broad, transformational impact on the world. We ask big questions that expand our understanding of health and disease at a foundational level. Our open-science approach spurs collaboration and accelerates discovery, as we make our tools, platforms, resources, and data available to the scientific community. We are based in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood, the city’s biotechnology hub. Team science and open science fuel innovation and progress.

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