The Carney Institute creates an environment that allows Brown University faculty, postdocs and students to innovate, create and advance knowledge in brain science without constraint. The institute supports research, training and outreach to benefit more than 200 faculty members from 20 academic and clinical units at Brown, as well as undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, and other researchers.
Discovery that Benefits Humanity
Carney Institute faculty research illuminates how neural circuits give rise to complex behavior, generating benefits for society and the scientific community. Scientists within the institute are actively working on research that has real-life, human applications including:
- Brain-computer interfaces to aid patients with spinal injury and paralysis
- Innovative advances in computational neuroscience to address behavior and mood disorders
- Development of bioluminescent molecules to detect and control neuronal activity
- Development of new methods for labeling neural circuits
- Research into mechanisms of neurodegeneration as part of efforts to identify therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
Critical to our research efforts are the contributions of hundreds of graduate and undergraduate researchers and postdoctoral fellows.
How Carney Catalyzes Brain Science
Carney Institute investments have enabled upgrades to the MRI instrument in 2015 and established the Behavioral Phenotyping Core. Carney has also invested in optical imaging (microscopy), brain stimulation, and core infrastructure for fruit fly research.
