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The Helen Wills
Neuroscience Institute

Deepening our understanding of the brain and the rest of the nervous system through original research and neurotechnology innovation, and training the next generation of neuroscientists.

The Helen Wills
Neuroscience Institute

Deepening our understanding of the brain and the rest of the nervous system through original research and neurotechnology innovation, and training the next generation of neuroscientists.

An image of dendritic spines on neurons in the mouse cortex, produced using new microscopy technology developed by HWNI member Eric Betzig.   

The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute (HWNI) is the nexus for campus-wide multidisciplinary neuroscience research at UC Berkeley. Our community includes over 70 faculty members in 12 academic departments. This unique cross-departmental structure brings together experts from a variety of fields to use the power of interdisciplinary research to achieve breakthroughs in the study of the brain and nervous system, and to drive the development of novel treatments and technologies. We support our faculty and their labs in their individual research aims, and foster opportunities for collaboration. We also sponsor major research initiatives, run six innovative neurotechnology and research centers, and train the next generation of neuroscientists through our support of the Neuroscience PhD Program.

Latest News

Why does COVID-19 make you sneeze?

Why does COVID-19 make you sneeze?

The Bautista lab has found that a viral protein actively stimulates neurons that trigger sneezing.
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For new professor, psychedelics and octopuses may hold keys to the human mind

For new professor, psychedelics and octopuses may hold keys to the human mind

Gül Dölen is known for her research on how psychedelics affect "critical periods" and learning.
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Are stressed-out brain cells the root cause of neurodegenerative disease?

Are stressed-out brain cells the root cause of neurodegenerative disease?

Rapé lab research suggests that constant stress triggered by clumping proteins is killing brain cells.
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Department of Neuroscience to launch at UC Berkeley

Department of Neuroscience to launch at UC Berkeley

HWNI member and inaugural Neuroscience Department chair Dan Feldman discusses the exciting new department!
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Bob Knight receives 2024 American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions

Bob Knight receives 2024 American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions

Congratulations to HWNI member Robert Knight!
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World-renowned neuroscientist doctor Gül Dölen to join UC Berkeley faculty

World-renowned neuroscientist doctor Gül Dölen to join UC Berkeley faculty

Dölen will join HWNI, Psychology, and the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics.
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Cell types in the eye have ancient evolutionary origins

Cell types in the eye have ancient evolutionary origins

The Shekhar lab and collaborators found that retinal cell types are remarkably conserved across vertebrates.
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Berkeley Neuroscience PhD alum Emily Jacobs leads new initiative to advance study of women’s brain health

Berkeley Neuroscience PhD alum Emily Jacobs leads new initiative to advance study of women’s brain health

Jacobs directs UC’s Bowers Women’s Brain Health Initiative, which she wrote about in Nature.
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Recent Faculty Publications

18 Mar 2024
Brain Commun. 2024 Mar 8;6(2):fcae071. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcae071. eCollection 2024.ABSTRACTEnlarged perivascular spaces have been previously reported in cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy, but their significance and pathophysiology...
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16 Mar 2024
Brain Struct Funct. 2024 Mar 16. doi: 10.1007/s00429-023-02754-4. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTTranscriptomic contributions to the anatomical, functional, and network layout of the human cerebral cortex (HCC) have become a major...
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07 Mar 2024
Commun Biol. 2024 Mar 7;7(1):284. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-05909-z.ABSTRACTLanguage comprehension involves integrating low-level sensory inputs into a hierarchy of increasingly high-level features. Prior work studied brain representations of different levels of the...
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07 Mar 2024
J Exp Biol. 2024 Mar 7;227(Suppl_1):jeb246215. doi: 10.1242/jeb.246215. Epub 2024 Mar 7.ABSTRACTFood insecurity is a major public health issue. Millions of households worldwide have intermittent and unpredictable access to food...
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06 Mar 2024
J Neurosci. 2024 Mar 6;44(10):e1946232024. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1946-23.2024.NO ABSTRACTPMID:38448246 | DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1946-23.2024
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