Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal disorder diagnosed in the U.S. and the leading cause of developmental disabilities worldwide. Picower research on the disorder includes creating stem cell lines and lab tissues, providing new insights into the molecular and cell biology of the disorder, and studying systems level interventions.

Mood disorders including depression and bipolar disorder are complex in how they affect emotion in the brain. Picower researchers investigate many aspects of these disorders including the circuits, regions and neuromodulators that are relevant in how they are manifested differently in disease.

Not merely a restorative process, sleep also has a crucial role in learning and memory. Ongoing studies at the Picower Institute are producing new insights into how memory is processed during sleep and dreaming.

We are not only capable of learning and reasoning about complex information, we can exert volitional control over these processes. Research at the Picower Institute includes studies to understand the cells, circuits and systems that allow for these capabilities and how abnormalities can disrupt them.