Skip to main content

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.   

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Neuroscience

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 Neuroscience PhD Program and the training of postdoctoral fellows who conduct research in HWNI faculty labs. We also have over 100 PhD Program alumni who work in a variety of careers across the globe.

Latest News

Raul Ramos-Garcia selected as an HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow

Raul Ramos-Garcia selected as an HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow

Congratulations to Raul Ramos-Garcia, a postdoc in the lab of HWNI member Ellen Lumpkin!
Read More
Robert Knight receives NINDS Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship

Robert Knight receives NINDS Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship

Congratulations to HWNI member Robert Knight!
Read More
Christopher Chang receives 2024 American Chemical Society National Award

Christopher Chang receives 2024 American Chemical Society National Award

Congratulations to HWNI member Christopher Chang!
Read More
Three years in, ‘uniquely Berkeley’ psychedelic research center looks to the future

Three years in, ‘uniquely Berkeley’ psychedelic research center looks to the future

Learn about the BCSP, which is led by HWNI member Michael Silver.
Read More
A warm welcome to our new PhD students!

A warm welcome to our new PhD students!

Welcome to the incoming Neuroscience PhD Program class of 2023!
Read More
Bat study reveals how the brain is wired for collective behavior

Bat study reveals how the brain is wired for collective behavior

The Yartsev lab has found that neurons that encode location also represent the social environment.
Read More
Brain recordings capture musicality of speech — with help from Pink Floyd

Brain recordings capture musicality of speech — with help from Pink Floyd

The Knight lab and collaborators reconstructed music from intracranial brain recordings for the first time.
Read More
Solving medical mysteries: PhD alum and neuro-ophthalmologist Aubrey Gilbert

Solving medical mysteries: PhD alum and neuro-ophthalmologist Aubrey Gilbert

Our Q&A with Neuroscience PhD alum Aubrey Gilbert, Northern California neuro-ophthalmology lead for Kaiser.
Read More

Recent Faculty Publications

01 Oct 2023
Alzheimers Dement. 2023 Sep 30. doi: 10.1002/alz.13484. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTINTRODUCTION: Alzheimer's disease (AD) and primary age-related tauopathy (PART) both harbor 3R/4R hyperphosphorylated-tau (p-tau)-positive neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) but differ in...
Read More
27 Sep 2023
Front Physiol. 2023 Sep 11;14:1254287. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1254287. eCollection 2023.ABSTRACTCoordinated fluctuations in female reproductive physiology and thermoregulatory output have been reported for over a century. These changes occur rhythmically at the...
Read More
25 Sep 2023
Front Neurol. 2023 Sep 7;14:1254297. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1254297. eCollection 2023.ABSTRACTIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit a diverse range of behavioral features and genetic backgrounds, but whether different genetic forms of...
Read More
25 Sep 2023
Front Aging Neurosci. 2023 Sep 6;15:1236335. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1236335. eCollection 2023.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: The locus coeruleus (LC) produces catecholamines (norepinephrine and dopamine) and is implicated in a broad range of cognitive functions including...
Read More
21 Sep 2023
J Vis. 2023 Sep 1;23(11):11. doi: 10.1167/jov.23.11.11.ABSTRACTVision restoration therapies aim to restore light sensitivity to the retina following photoreceptor (PR) degeneration. Physiological changes in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) have been...
Read More
View More Publications