2026 Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Awards

The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience has selected four projects to receive the 2026 Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Awards. The awards will total $1.2 million for research on the biology of brain diseases, with each project receiving $100,000 per year in each of the next three years for a total of $300,000 funded per project.

Cov Neurobiology ntawm Lub Hlwb Hlwb (NBD) Khoom plig txhawb nqa cov kev tshawb fawb tshiab los ntawm Asmeskas cov kws tshawb fawb uas kawm txog neurological thiab lub hlwb. Cov khoom plig txhawb kom muaj kev sib koom tes ntawm cov hauv nruab nrab thiab cov kws kho mob hlwb txhawm rau txhais cov kev tshawb pom txog lub hlwb thiab lub paj hlwb mus rau kev kuaj mob thiab tshuaj kho kom txhim kho tib neeg kev noj qab haus huv.

Ib qho kev txaus siab ntxiv yog qhov kev koom tes ntawm ib puag ncig rau kev puas hlwb. Thaum ntxov-lub neej kev ntxhov siab ib puag ncig yog ib qho tseem ceeb pov tseg rau yav tom ntej neurological thiab puas siab puas ntsws mob. Cov kev tshawb fawb pom tias cov zej zog ntawm cov xim muaj kev pheej hmoo siab dua rau cov kev ntxhov siab no, uas muaj xws li ib puag ncig (xws li huab cua, khoom noj khoom haus, raug tshuaj lom neeg, muaj kuab paug) mus rau kev sib raug zoo (xws li tsev neeg, kev kawm, vaj tse, kev txom nyem). Los ntawm kev pom kev kho mob, kev nkag siab txog qhov xwm txheej ib puag ncig ua rau muaj kab mob hauv hlwb yog qhov tseem ceeb rau kev txhim kho cov kev kho mob zoo.

“From uncovering how physiological temperature reshapes pain signaling, to mapping circuits that connect early life adversity to fear, to restoring motor plasticity in the aging brain, the researchers selected for this year’s award are pushing the frontiers of neuroscience in bold and much needed directions,” said Michael Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Awards Committee.  This year’s projects include investigations into temperature as a missing variable in pain biology and drug discovery, the development of septal dopamine circuits controlling fear in the context of early life stress, the rescue of cortical plasticity and motor learning in aging, and an environmentally focused project examining how early life high fructose exposure impairs microglial function and disrupts neurodevelopment. These efforts promise to reshape our understanding of brain disease and point to transformative therapeutic possibilities for the future.” 

Cov khoom plig tau txais kev tshoov siab los ntawm kev nyiam ntawm William L. McKnight, uas tau tsim McKnight Foundation hauv 1953 thiab xav txhawb kev tshawb fawb txog kab mob hlwb. Nws tus ntxhais, Virginia McKnight Binger, thiab McKnight Foundation pawg thawj coj tau tsim McKnight neuroscience program hauv nws txoj kev hwm xyoo 1977.

Ntau qhov khoom plig tau muab txhua xyoo. Xyoo no plaub qhov khoom plig yog:

With 177 applications received this year, the awards are highly competitive. A committee of distinguished scientists reviews the letters and invites a select few researchers to submit full proposals. In addition to Dr. Ehlers, the committee includes Nancy Bonini, Ph.D, University of Pennsylvania; Nicole Calakos, M.D., Ph.D., Duke University; Gloria Choi, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Joseph G. Gleeson, M.D., University of California San Diego; Evan Macosko, M.D., Ph.D., Broad Institute of Massachusetts Lub Koom Haum Tshawb Nrhiav and Harvard University; and Michael Sofroniew, Ph.D., M.D., University of California, Los Angeles. 

Applications for both the 2027 Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Awards and Scholar Awards open August 3, 2026, and will be accepted through October 15 and November 3, 2026, respectively. 

Hais txog McKnight Endowment Fund rau Neuroscience

McKnight Endowment Fund rau Neuroscience yog ib lub koom haum ywj pheej uas tau txais nyiaj los ntawm McKnight Foundation ntawm Minneapolis, Minnesota, thiab coj los ntawm pawg thawj coj uas suav nrog cov kws tshaj lij neuroscientists los ntawm thoob plaws lub tebchaws. Lub McKnight Foundation tau txhawb nqa kev tshawb fawb txog neuroscience txij li xyoo 1977. Lub Foundation tau tsim lub Endowment Fund hauv 1986 los ua ib qho kev xav ntawm tus tsim William L. McKnight (1887–1978), yog ib tus thawj coj ntawm 3M Company.

Ntxiv nrog rau Neurobiology of Brain Disorders Awards, cov nyiaj txais txiaj ntsig kuj tseem muab cov nyiaj tau txais txiaj ntsig txhua xyoo los ntawm McKnight Scholar Awards, txhawb nqa cov kws tshawb fawb hauv cov theem pib ntawm lawv txoj haujlwm tshawb fawb.

Neurobiology ntawm Lub Hlwb Xiam Hlwb Lub Zog

Juan Du, Ph.D., Professor, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 

Temperature as a Missing Dimension in Pain Neurobiology and Therapy 

Temperature is one of the most fundamental signals sensed by the nervous system, shaping experiences from the warmth of sunlight to the pain of touching a hot surface. The Du laboratory studies how the body detects temperature and how disruptions in these pathways contribute to neurological disorders.  

Recent discoveries from the Du laboratory suggest that temperature is a previously overlooked “missing dimension” in biomedical research and drug discovery. Most biological experiments and drug screenings are performed at room temperature, even though proteins function in the body at 37°C. The lab discovered that important protein states and drug interactions can remain hidden under conventional laboratory conditions and only emerge at body temperature. These findings may help explain why some drug candidates succeed in early studies but fail later in development. Through this project, the team aims to uncover how temperature-driven protein dynamics contribute to chronic pain and to develop “temperature-aware” therapies with greater precision and fewer side effects. 

Corey Harwell, Ph.D., Professor, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 

How Early Life Stress Shapes the Development of Septal Dopamine Circuits Controlling Fear 

Anxiety disorders affect millions of people worldwide, and early life stress is one of the strongest risk factors for developing anxiety and trauma-related disorders later in life. Despite this clear link, the mechanisms by which stressful experiences during childhood alter the developing brain remain poorly understood. Emerging evidence suggests that disruptions in dopamine circuits involved in fear, safety learning, and emotional regulation may contribute to long-lasting changes in behavior. 

The Harwell lab aims to determine how early life stress alters the development of a specific dopamine circuit connecting the ventral tegmental area and lateral septum, two brain regions involved in regulating fear and anxiety-related behaviors. Using advanced genetic, imaging, and behavioral approaches in mice, the lab will define how stress changes the maturation and activity of this circuit and whether these alterations impair the ability to recognize when danger has passed. Overall, this work could identify new therapeutic targets and developmental windows for treating anxiety and trauma-related disorders. 

Takaki Komiyama, Ph.D., Professor, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA

Rescuing Motor Learning Failure in Aging 

The brain continuously reshapes itself through experience, allowing people to learn new skills, adapt to changing environments, and recover from challenges. Yet this remarkable flexibility is not unlimited. As we age and in many neurological conditions, the brain circuits become less able to reorganize itself in an adaptive manner, making learning and recovery increasingly difficult. Takaki Komiyama’s research seeks to uncover the fundamental rules that allow the brain to remain adaptable throughout life and to understand why those mechanisms sometimes fail. 

His laboratory combines innovative approaches that allow researchers to observe and precisely influence the activity of individual neurons in the brains of behaving animals. By studying how experiences alter neural circuits, his team aims not only to reveal how learning naturally occurs, but also to determine whether the brain’s ability to change can be restored or enhanced when it becomes impaired. This work seeks to bridge fundamental discoveries about how the brain learns with future strategies to improve learning, recovery, and brain health across the lifespan. 

Justin Perry, Ph.D., Associate Member, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 

Understanding How Early Life High Fructose Exposure Suppresses Microglia Efferocytosis and Disrupts Neurodevelopment

Despite its success as a low-cost food additive, there has been significant attention on the potential downsides to the dramatic increase in use of high fructose corn syrup across the world, especially in foods marketed to children. Emerging evidence suggests that high fructose consumption by pregnant mothers (via breast milk) or by adolescent children is associated with the development of mood, anxiety, and autism spectrum disorders during adolescence. Despite this emerging link and the growing prevalence of such disorders, very little is known about how high fructose exposure affects neurodevelopment. 

During development, the human brain not only massively expands the number of new neurons formed but must also remove neurons that are deemed surplus. This process is achieved by specialized cells, called microglia, who must manage this burdensome but essential process in the harsh environment of the developing brain. Dr. Perry aims to apply cutting-edge approaches from multiple fields to uncover the metabolic pathways that support phagocytosis by microglia and to understand why these pathways go awry when the brain is exposed to high fructose.