How Exercise Shapes Brain Health
Christiane Wrann, PhD, DVM
Investigator, Department of Neurology
Mass General Brigham
Dr. Wrann studies how exercise affects the body and brain, with a focus on molecules released during physical activity that may help improve health.
“The benefits of exercise for brain health are well documented. My research focuses on understanding how the brain responds to exercise at the molecular level. By identifying these novel exercise-related molecules, we aim to develop new treatments and biomarkers for neurological disorders.”
Learn more about Dr. Wrann’s work
Mapping the Brain’s Communication Networks
Anastasia Yendiki, PhD
Investigator, Department of Radiology
Mass General Brigham
Dr. Yendiki develops advanced imaging tools to map the brain's communication networks and better understand how they change in health and disease.
“Many neurologic and psychiatric disorders are not caused by problems in a single brain region, but by disruptions in how different areas of the brain are connected and communicate with each other. Despite this, we still do not have a complete map of how the human brain is wired.
By creating the most detailed brain map to date, we aim to better understand how these networks are affected by disease and identify new ways to stimulate them, with the goal of easing symptoms of debilitating brain disorders.”
Learn more about Dr. Yendiki’s work
Making Chronic Pain More Visible
Marco Loggia, PhD
Investigator, Department of Radiology
Mass General Brigham
Dr. Loggia uses advanced brain imaging to better understand how pain is processed in the brain and identify brain-based markers that could help diagnose and track chronic pain.
“Individuals living with chronic pain often face a struggle that is invisible to others, but deeply real to them.
My lab’s goal is to improve their lives by making this experience more visible and measurable, and by uncovering new pathways for treatment.
To do this, we use advanced imaging techniques to explore how the brain and immune system interact in people living with chronic pain.”
Learn more about Dr. Loggia’s work
Sabrina Paganoni, MD, PhD
Investigator, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Mass General Brigham
Accelerating New Treatments for ALS
Dr. Paganoni leads clinical trials aimed at developing new treatments for ALS, using innovative study designs and digital tools to improve how potential therapies are tested and evaluated.
“While ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) remains a life-changing diagnosis, the field is entering a new era of possibility, and there is growing reason for hope.
Advances in genetics, disease biology, and technology are creating new opportunities for intervention.
At the Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute, we are bringing together care and discovery across disciplines, creating an environment where patients, clinicians, and scientists learn from one another and help accelerate progress toward better treatments.”
Learn more about Dr. Paganoni's work
Using Brain Data to Improve Treatment
Shan Siddiqi, MD, MBBS
Investigator, Department of Psychiatry
Mass General Brigham
Dr. Siddiqi studies how brain circuits respond to stimulation therapies by combining advanced brain imaging with large amounts of patient data.
“In the last few years, we have seen a renaissance in clinical neuroscience, giving us advanced maps of brain circuits that can actually be modulated with targeted brain stimulation treatments.
Patients are seeing unprecedented results, with new treatments getting people better in days or weeks rather than months or years.
In the coming years, we’ll hopefully extend that to more disorders and bring down the cost to improve accessibility —we are very close to a future in which targeted brain stimulation is available in every psychiatric clinic.”
Learn more about Dr. Siddiqi's work
Participate in A Brain Health Research Study
Our founding hospitals have a long tradition of medical breakthroughs, from the first use of ether for surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital to the first successful organ transplant at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Almost every treatment, test, drug, or medical device is a result of successful research, conducted with the help of patients like you.
Patients play an important role in research by joining studies. Having many different people involved in research helps ensure that any resulting discoveries will benefit a wide range of patients.
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