Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

05/18/2026

Where, exactly, does learning happen in the brain?

In a new paper published in Nature, Duke neurobiologists Richard Mooney, Drew Schreiner and John Pearson work with songbirds to uncover clues about how the brain learns and what can go wrong in neurological disorders.

Study pinpoints a single brain connection in songbirds that helps turn practice into skill, offering one of the clearest explanations yet of how the brain learns complex behaviors like speech and music.   

05/07/2026

Senior Nana Osaki studies the brain in Jamila Minga’s lab, focusing on how language changes after a stroke. During her sophomore year, she became the Blue Devil mascot – a role that depends on gestures. These experiences shape how she understands communication.

How the Blue Devil and Brain Research Intersect This senior was the wordless Duke mascot. That informed her research on the brain. Image Nana Osaki explored communication challenges as the Blue Devil mascot and as an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Jamila Minga. Caption Close Image Nana Osaki...

05/06/2026

Congratulations to our Ph.D. Fellowship awardees!

The Duke Institute for Brain Sciences is awarding 19 fellowships to PhD students across the university (School of Medicine, Trinity and Pratt) conducting research on brain-themed topics.

The Ph.D. fellowships will support the graduate students’ stipends and research, as well as provide a training allowance for professional development, such as attending conferences and participating in grant writing and other skill-building workshops.

https://dibs.duke.edu/news/phd-fellowships-provide-valuable-support-duke-brain-sciences-community/

04/16/2026

Duke colleagues: is there a new development in your field of brain studies that captivates you, but you feel alone in your excitement? Do you want to grow a community at Duke to explore it?

DIBS wants to help you! Announcing the new, 3-yr DIBS Dream Team awards:

We are looking for visionary collectives of scholars who aspire to integrate ideas across disciplines to foster a new, energetic community in a field of brain studies. Co

04/07/2026

For young brain scientists eager to make their mark on the field, innovation is key. Turning visionary insights into new advances requires the courage to take a risk. But more practically, it requires funding that is getting harder to obtain. $25,000 can make all the difference in turning a great idea into a viable research project.

The Duke Institute for Brain Sciences (DIBS) recently awarded this level of support to six graduate students and postdoctoral fellows through its Germinator Award program. We set out to learn more about the awardees. What drives them to tackle brain research at the cutting edge?

The six recipients of 2026 Germinator Awards from the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences talk about their projects, their career pathways and what the $25,000 grant means

02/25/2026

04/09/2024

"I came to Duke as a mechanical engineer doing research in oil and gas, so I had no experience with biology, let alone the brain ... I hadn’t picked up a pipette since general chemistry in undergrad, and now I make cerebral organoids from human stem cells to study neuroinflammation. "

From engineering to growing brains-in-a-dish, Paris Brown has taken a fascinating path to Durham. At Duke, she's growing nerve cells to better understand neuroinflammation all while flying towards a future in neuroethics and science policy. Outside the lab, you might spot Paris situated in front of a pottery wheel, exploring state parks, or taking her pilot's license.

https://dibs.duke.edu/news/paris-brown/

04/01/2024

“I think there's a lot of moments of distress that don't necessitate a formal therapy appointment. If students can get support in those moments, it increases their confidence about their ability to handle difficult emotions,” said Duke Psychiatry's Dr. Nancy Zucker, referring to the text-based, student-run support line for Duke students that she established in collaboration with colleagues and students. Learn more about DukeLine in this Duke Chronicle feature! https://ow.ly/tcIz50R4UbT
Duke Institute for Brain Sciences

03/04/2024

Behold the dramatic changes in oxygen levels during hypoxia captured in real-time within a mouse’s brain. This “ultrafast photoacoustic microscopy” method , developed by the lab of DIBS member and Duke Engineering professor Junjie Yao, could one day revolutionize our understanding of other neurological diseases, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, or even long COVID.

Full story: https://pratt.duke.edu/news/using-light-and-sound-reveal-rapid-brain-activity-unprecedented-detail/

02/26/2024

🧠 Immune Defense in the Brain 🛡️

Ever wonder how the brain stays healthy?

Dive into the latest discoveries from the lab of DIBS member and Duke Neurosurgery professor Anthony Filiano, who have recently uncovered how two key cells in the brain's protective layer interact to prevent or possibly trigger conditions like multiple sclerosis.

Today’s illuminates this crucial cell duet: mural cells (highlighted in green) lining the brain's blood vessels (red) within the meninges - a vital shield just beneath our skull. Changes in these cells can signal immune challenges, potentially unlocking new ways to understand autoimmune diseases.