Highlights
- 1Nature · 2024
- 2Nature neuroscience · 2023
- 3
Publications
Funding
Active
18 grants- KP351012026 NARSAD Young Investigator GrantBrain & Behavior Research Foundation · 2027–2029
- MPIR01MH118451-08Neuromodulatory control of prefrontal circuit function and reward-seekingNational Institute of Mental Health · 2018–2028· 2 renewals
- Co-IOT2OD040511-01AR² - Autism Replication, Validation, and Reproducibility CenterOffice of the Director, NIH · 2025–2028
- PIHDRF 262807-01An open-label trial of a novel prefrontal cortical interneuron-targeting antidepressant medication combination to achieve rapid antidepressant responses with minimal side effectsHope for Depression Research Foundation · 2026–2028
- Co-IR01MH133953-01Target Engagement During Social Reward Psychotherapy for Mid- and Late-Life Suicidality: A Precision Imaging TrialNational Institute of Mental Health · 2023–2028
- Sub-PIR01MH131806-04Global Deep Learning Initiative to Understand Outcomes in Major DepressionNational Institute of Mental Health · 2023–2028 · via University of Southern California
- KPBWF 240354-01Closing the Interspecies Gap: Breakthrough Methods for Comparative Molecular NeurodynamicsBurroughs Wellcome Fund · 2024–2027
- Co-IR01MH131534-01Scalable Biomarkers and Generative Digital Twins for Personalized Neurostimulation in DepressionNational Institute of Mental Health · 2022–2027
- Co-IR01MH129693-01Photopharmacological interrogation of presynaptic neuromodulation of cortico-amygdalar circuitsNational Institute of Mental Health · 2022–2027
- Sub-PIR61MH138647-02Maintenance rTMS for depression (Maitr-De)National Institute of Mental Health · 2025–2027 · via University of California, San Diego
- MPIR01MH118388-05Efficacy of biomarker-guided rTMS for treatment resistant depression, Data Sharing AgreementNational Institute of Mental Health · 2019–2027
- Co-IR01DA053261-03Investigating the mechanistic contribution of Cav1.2 channels in extinction of cocaine-associated memoriesNational Institute on Drug Abuse · 2022–2027 · via Temple University· 2 renewals
- KPK08MH130773-04Microbial Regulation of Microglial FunctionNational Institute of Mental Health · 2022–2026Career
- MPIUG3MH137656-01Biomarker-Guided Antidepressant Selection for Treatment-Resistant DepressionNational Institute of Mental Health · 2024–2026
- PIHDRF 231267-02Longitudinal Studies of Synaptic Remodeling as a Therapeutic Target in Depression (Renewal)Hope for Depression Research Foundation · 2023–2026
- Co-IR01MH124110-03Remote computational phenotyping of behavioral and affective dynamics in major depressionNational Institute of Mental Health · 2020–2026 · via Yale University
- Co-IR61DA051529-01Genetically-Targeted Photo-Pharmacology for Native Opioid ReceptorsNational Institute on Drug Abuse · 2020–2026
- MPIR01MH123154-05Impact of BDNF on the Development of Social Behavior CircuitsNational Institute of Mental Health · 2020–2026
Completed grants (40)
- Sub-PIUNIV61176Modeling and Model Integration (Transition Funding)Wellcome Leap, Inc. · 2024–2025 · via Vanderbilt University
- Co-IR01MH124381-04Brain-based Mechanisms of Emotion Regulation in Aging and Mood DisordersNational Institute of Mental Health · 2020–2025 · via The Brigham & Women's Hospital INC
- KPWF 2021-08-089Endogenous and causal roles of VTA and LC dopaminergic projections in contextual learning and behaviorWhitehall Foundation, Inc. · 2021–2025
- PINVF 202423-05Individualized Neuroimaging Biomarkers for Predicting rTMS Response in OCDNew Venture Fund · 2020–2025
- KPK99MH132082-01A1Implications of Prefrontal Cortex Development for Adolescent Reward Seeking BehaviorNational Institute of Mental Health · 2023–2025
- Sub-PIRF1NS126073-01Light activated drugs for in vivo photopharmacologyNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2022–2025 · via University of California, San Diego
- KPS10OD027039-01A17T Magnetic Resonance Imaging System for Basic, Translational and Clinical ResearchOffice of the Director, NIH · 2021–2025
- Co-IR01MH118934-06A1Molecular and circuit defects underlying different SCN2A mutations and ASDsNational Institute of Mental Health · 2019–2025
- Sub-PIR01MH125160-03The Effects of Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy on Explicit and Implicit Suicidal CognitionNational Institute of Mental Health · 2023–2025 · via Magnus Medical, Inc.
- PIWLI 220839-02WELLCOME LEAP MARFA Master Contract - Personalized Therapeutic Neuromodulation for Anhedonic DepressionWellcome Leap, Inc. · 2021–2024
- KPK99MH127291-02Corticostriatal and Corticoinsular Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Stress Effects on Effort-based Reward ProcessingNational Institute of Mental Health · 2021–2024Career
- PIS10OD032415-01Two-photon laser-scanning microscope for interdisciplinary collaborations at Weill CornellOffice of the Director, NIH · 2022–2024
- PIR01DA047851-04Diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for subtypes of addiction-related circuit dysfunctionNational Institute on Drug Abuse · 2019–2024· 2 renewals
- KPK08MH127383-01Encoding of fear and safety discrimination in prefrontal-amygdala projectionsNational Institute of Mental Health · 2021–2023Career
- KPK00MH124183-02Effects of early life stress on functional development of prefrontal-amygdala connectivityNational Institute of Mental Health · 2020–2023
- PIHDRF 203840-03Longitudinal Studies of Synaptic Remodeling as a Therapeutic Target in Depression (Year 2 Renewal)Hope for Depression Research Foundation · 2020–2023
- KPR01NS106056-01A1DNA methylation based binary enhancers govern neuronal allocation to coding in the hippocampusNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2018–2023
- PIAddgene 699905Addgene 699905Addgene, Inc. · 2022–2023
- MPIK08MH113039-05Dissection Of The Role Of Serotonin Circuits In Reward And AversionNational Institute of Mental Health · 2021–2023Career
- KPBBRF 28470Investigate for the Effect of Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress on Prefrontal Circuit and Anhedonic Behavioral Change in DepressionBrain & Behavior Research Foundation · 2020–2023
- PIRAF 17070977-01Prefrontal Cortical Circuit Mechanisms of Working MemoryRita Allen Foundation · 2017–2022
- KPF32MH120989-01Targeting salience network dysfunction in depression with individualized brain network mapping and TMSNational Institute of Mental Health · 2019–2022
- Co-IR01NS100447-01ApoE4 and Mechanisms of Diffuse White Matter InjuryNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2016–2022
- PIR01MH109685-05Prefrontal Cortical Microcircuit Mechanisms of Working Memory Deficits in Chronic StressNational Institute of Mental Health · 2016–2022· 2 renewals
- KPF32MH117973-01A1Prefrontal circuit mechanisms underlying antidepressant effects of sleep deprivation: a role for metabotropic glutamate receptorsNational Institute of Mental Health · 2019–2022
- KPF30MH115622-02Prefrontal Somatostatin-Expressing Interneurons in Action Valuation Processing and Motivational AnhedoniaNational Institute of Mental Health · 2017–2021Fellowship
- KPK99MH117271-02S1Prefrontal Microcircuits Underlying Cognitive Flexibility (K99 Administrative Supplement)National Institute of Mental Health · 2018–2021· 2 renewals
- Co-IR01NS095441-03Dietary Sodium, Neurovascular Dysfunction and Cerebrovascular RiskNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2015–2021
- KPBRF 17091388-01Prefrontal Circuits Underlying Attention SelectionBrain & Behavior Research Foundation · 2018–2021
- KPF32MH115654-01Prefrontal Microcircuit Mechanisms Underlying Extinction Memory FormationNational Institute of Mental Health · 2017–2020Fellowship
- PIHDRF 200192-01How Stress-Induced Synaptic Remodeling in Specific PFC Circuits Impacts Depression-Like BehaviorsHope for Depression Research Foundation · 2019–2020
- PIR56MH114976-01A1Diagnostic Neuroimaging Biomarkers of Dysfunctional Valence Systems in Depression and AnxietyNational Institute of Mental Health · 2018–2019
- KPR56MH117004-01The cellular memory of early life adversityNational Institute of Mental Health · 2018–2019
- PIKSF 170910-03Prefrontal Cortical Circuit Mechanisms of Working MemoryEsther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund, Inc. · 2016–2019Fellowship
- KPF32CA217048-02Exploring the Regulation and Function of Gap Junction-Mediated Signaling in Glioblastoma MultiformeNational Cancer Institute · 2017–2019Fellowship
- PIIMHRO 16060875-03Circuit Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Treating Neurophysiological Subtypes of DepressionInternational Mental Health Research Organization · 2015–2018
- PIMTA 180131-01Neuroimaging and related data from UK BiobankUK Biobank · 2017–2018
- PITHF 15030354-02Developing Neuroimaging Biomarkers and Mouse Models of Circuit Pathology in Autism Spectrum DisorderThe Hartwell Foundation · 2015–2018
- PIR00MH097822-05Chronic Stress Effects on Connectivity in a Limbic CircuitNational Institute of Mental Health · 2014–2017
- PIK99MH097822-02Chronic Stress Effects on Connectivity in a Limbic CircuitNIMH · 2012–2014 · via NIH RePORTER
Honors & distinctions
- Member · American Society for Clinical Investigation · 2020
Clinical research
Active
7 studies- PINCT07680140Biomarker-Guided Antidepressant Selection for Treatment-Resistant DepressionPHASE4 · Weill Medical College of Cornell University · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2026)Depression - Major Depressive Disorder; Treatment-resistant Depression (TRD); rTMS; Ketamine; fMRI
- PINCT07570108Precision Functional Mapping to Predict and Track ERP Response in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Longitudinal fMRI StudyNA · Weill Medical College of Cornell University · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2026)Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
- PIAssessment of Brain Circuitry in Mental Health: A Longitudinal Neuroimaging Approach (ABC-MH)Weill Medical College of Cornell University · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2026)
- PIPrecision Functional Mapping in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Longitudinal Dense-Sampling fMRI StudyWeill Medical College of Cornell University · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2026)
- PINCT06938841Maintaining the Acute Therapeutic Effect of rTMS in Treatment-Resistant Depression (Maitr-De)NA · University of California, San Diego · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2025)Major Depressive Disorder; Treatment Resistant Depression
- PINCT04041479Efficacy of Biomarker-guided rTMS for Treatment Resistant DepressionPHASE3 · Weill Medical College of Cornell University · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2021)Treatment Resistant Depression; Major Depressive Disorder
- PINCT04982757Accelerated TMS for Depression and OCDNA · Weill Medical College of Cornell University · OPEN TO ACCRUAL (as of 2021)Depression; OCD
Completed & closed trials (2)
- PINCT03693105A Multi-Site, Randomized, Double-Blind Trial Assessing The Effects of SAINT® Neuromodulation System on Explicit and Implicit Suicidal CognitionPHASE2; PHASE3 · Magnus Medical, Inc. · IRB STUDY CLOSURE (as of 2025)Major Depressive Disorder; Major Depressive Episode; Suicidal Ideation
- PIAnonymous tracking of psychiatric symptoms and mental health care needs in health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemicSackler Institute (Weill Cornell) · IRB STUDY CLOSURE (as of 2023)
Available technologies
- Neuroimaging Biomarkers for Diagnosing Depression Subtypes and Predicting Treatment Response7578Application filedPoC DataPMID 27918562
News mentions
- Brain Region Linked to TMS’s Antidepressant EffectsJune 9, 2026
A circuit that runs from the prefrontal cortex near the front of the brain to a deeper brain structure called the insular cortex appears to mediate the antidepressant effects of a newer form of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.
- Reverse Engineering Ketamine’s Effects May Lead to New AntidepressantsMay 1, 2026
Weill Cornell Medicine investigators have “reverse engineered” ketamine’s antidepressant effects to identify potential new strategies for treating depression.
- Grant Supports Studies to Improve and Personalize Bipolar CareOctober 28, 2025
A three-year, $4.5 million grant from BD²: Breakthrough Discoveries for thriving with Bipolar Disorder to Weill Cornell Medicine investigators, in collaboration with Stanford Medicine, will support a three-pronged research project to map the brain circuits that contribute to mood shifts in bipolar disorder and help develop personalized therapies for the condition.
- NIH Grant Will Fund Autism Research Replication, Validation, and Reproducibility CenterOctober 1, 2025
Investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell’s Ithaca campus have received a $5.1 million, three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Autism Data Science Initiative (ADSI) to launch the Autism Replication, Validation, and Reproducibility (AR²) Center.
- Innovators Encourage Scientists and Physicians to Dive into Technology CommercializationJanuary 9, 2025
In its eighth year, the annual Dean's Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship celebrates innovation and Weill Cornell Medicine’s entrepreneurial spirit, while encouraging and motivating the next generation of innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs.
Show 13 more mentions
- Brain Scanning Approach Shows Wiring of DepressionSeptember 4, 2024
By repeatedly scanning the brains of a small group of patients for a year and a half, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have identified a distinct pattern of neuronal interactions that appears to predispose some people to developing depression.
- Dr. Conor Liston Awarded Salmon Medal in Psychiatry by NYAMNovember 21, 2023
Dr. Conor Liston, professor of psychiatry and of neuroscience in the Department of Psychiatry and the Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine, received the 2023 Thomas William Salmon Medal in Psychiatry from The New York Academy of Medicine.
- Faculty and Students Recognized with Notable AwardsMay 19, 2023
Weill Cornell Medicine faculty members were honored with awards for their exemplary achievements in medical research, education and care May 17-18 during Weill Cornell Medicine’s commencement activities.
- Four Different Autism Subtypes Identified in Brain StudyApril 7, 2023
People with autism spectrum disorder can be classified into four distinct subtypes based on their brain activity and behavior.
- Autism-linked Gene Shapes Nerve ConnectionsNovember 28, 2022
A gene linked to autism spectrum disorders plays a critical role in early brain development and may shape the formation of both normal and atypical nerve connections in the brain.
- New Study Reveals Where Memory Fragments are StoredJuly 14, 2022
New study by The Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell Medicine investigators illuminates the distributed nature of memory processing in the brain, and provides new insights into the process of memory recall, which is less understood than memory storage.
- Contract Supports Research into Personalized Treatments for DepressionFebruary 17, 2022
A three-year contract from Wellcome Leap will allow a team of investigators from Weill Cornell Medicine, Stanford Medicine and UC San Diego School of Medicine to study new ways to combat depression and create models that can predict which treatment is likely to work for individual patients.
- Immediate Relief: In the Clinic and the Lab, Physician-scientists Explore Ketamine’s Potentially Powerful Role in PsychiatrySeptember 28, 2021
Depression is the most common mental illness as well as the number one cause of disability among people between the ages of 15 and 44. And for millions of sufferers, antidepressants have literally saved lives that could otherwise have been lost to suicide.
- Prefrontal Cortex of Brain Provides Feedback to Redirect AttentionApril 15, 2021
To enable animals to shift their attention in response to changing circumstances, the prefrontal cortex of the brain helps keep track of which types of stimuli have recently been most relevant, suggests a preclinical study by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators
- Developmental Deficits in GABA Lead to Abnormal Brain Rhythms in Sensory AreasJanuary 8, 2020
Decreased amounts of a neurotransmitter called GABA, whose main function is to reduce activity in the brain, leads to changes in the number of neurons in the developing brain and alters signaling between them.
- Gut Instincts: Researchers Discover First Clues on How Gut Health Influences Brain HealthOctober 23, 2019
New cellular and molecular processes underlying communication between gut microbes and brain cells have been described for the first time by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine and Cornell’s Ithaca campus.
- Study Shows How Ketamine Reverses Depression—and How its Benefits Could Be ExtendedApril 11, 2019
The powerful but temporary benefits of ketamine against depression might be extended if the new brain-cell connections it promotes could be preserved, according to a new study.
Mentoring
- RFRobert FetchoMD-PhD Program · 2022–2022
- BHBaila HallNeuroscience (PhD) · Class of 2019
- ASAshna SinghNeuroscience (PhD)
- SJShane JohnsonPostdoc mentee · 2020–2026
- DEDavid EstrinNeuroscience (PhD) · Class of 2026
- GMGabriela Manzano NievesPostdoc mentee · 2021–2025
- SHSyed Hussain Ul Fareed BukhariNeuroscience (PhD) · Class of 2025
- DSDaniel ShaverMD-PhD WGS Neuroscience (MD-PhD)
- RMRachel MikofskyMD-PhD WGS Neuroscience (MD-PhD)
External relationships
Advisory/Scientific Board Member
Delix Therapeutics, Inc · Neuroscience Software, Inc.