Advancing brain health relies on access to care, as well as the research, technology, and expertise driving new discoveries. Through collaborations with organizations such as @mpfneuro.bsky.social, we're proud to help those working toward breakthroughs. #WorldBrainDay #WorldBrainDay2026

Meet the team! Today’s spotlight: Erin Scott ✨ Erin is a PhD student working to characterize a family of dopamine sensors for the dLight 3.0 series. She is also developing a sensor for alpha-synuclein, a toxic protein heavily implicated in Parkinson’s disease.

New work from the Inagaki Lab bridges levels of analysis to show that synaptic plasticity in different cell types plays distinct, complementary roles in shaping neural dynamics during learning. Congratulations to all! buff.ly/gm5fosP

Congratulations to MPFI Scientist Dr. Alex Gribizis, who received an NIH K99 Pathway to Independence Award! Her research focuses on how early brain activity shapes the development of visual circuits before eye opening. Learn more: buff.ly/vepcwTR

Congratulations to Dr. Kori Citrin, our newest IMPRS PhD graduate! Dr. Citrin's research explored how the hippocampus tracks time, a critical component of forming memories. We are so proud of her dedication and can't wait to see the impact she'll make. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Citrin!

Neuroscience postdocs: Showcase your original research at NeuroMEETS! On our Jupiter, FL, campus, you’ll gain confidence as you present to eager MPFI students, postdocs, and faculty. Apply by July 1 for a speaking spot! bit.ly/43GMW9a

Attention, postdocs: Apply to present your research at NeuroMEETS: Neuroscience Meetings for Extramural Emerging Talents!  Connect with MPFI students, postdocs, & faculty in Jupiter, FL. Travel support & honorarium provided for presenters. Apply for a speaking spot by July 1: bit.ly/43GMW9a

Congratulations to @salilbidaye.bsky.social for being named one of this year's McKnight Scholar Award recipients! Learn more about this honor and the important neuroscience research it funds: buff.ly/AUf0gTl

Neuroscience postdocs: Apply to share your research at our NeuroMEETS seminar! • Present your research at our Jupiter, FL, campus • Gain experience for future interviews • Network with MPFI students, postdocs, and faculty Apply for NeuroMEETS by July 1: mpfi.org/science/max-...

NeuroCollective 2.0 brought together 140+ students, scientists, and industry professionals from 15 institutions for a day of NeuroAI, mentorship, and connection. Shoutout to the 32 trainee presenters — and especially our two IMPRS-SC PhD reps who took home best talk AND best poster honors! 🏆

New research from MPFI led by @maryphillips.bsky.social in collaboration with @zeiss-microscopy.bsky.social and MetaCell introduces an imaging pipeline called Neuroplex, enabling simultaneous monitoring of neural activity across 9 neuronal populations in freely moving mice. buff.ly/HkgsSZU

How does the brain power its own memories — and what happens when that system fails? MPFI scientist Vidhya Rangaraju sat down with neuroscientist Mark Mattson on the Brain Ponderings podcast to explore exactly that. Listen on Spotify or watch on YouTube. 🎧️ buff.ly/v7N186U 📹️ buff.ly/DDvrwpY

Recent work by @salilbidaye.bsky.social and team on the circuits that control walking in the fly featured in The Transmitter!

The Transmitter @thetransmitter.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Researchers have long searched for the neural circuit underlying locomotion. Now they’ve found it in flies. By @natmesanash.bsky.social #neuroskyence www.thetransmitter.org/systems-neur...

Brain Exploration Day was a fun day of sharing our science and hearing your questions about how the brain works. We are grateful to all who attended and our staff and volunteers who helped support the event. Read more about it and see pictures from the event here: buff.ly/5wk04gq

Congratulations to @salilbidaye.bsky.social and the Bidaye Lab team on their latest work on the neural control of locomotion! Here, they use 🪰 to address long-standing questions of neural generation of coordinated walking. Read the study here! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6

Salil Bidaye@salilbidaye.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Here’s our latest preprint on uncovering neural control of a coordinated walking pattern! doi.org/10.64898/202... (author-list jumbled, see pdf for corrected). Video shows the central paradigm in this study, we optogenetically induce walking in headless flies and sequentially reduce proprioception.

We are thrilled to share that our CEO & Scientific Director, Dr. David Fitzpatrick, has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences, considered one of the highest honors in science. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Fitzpatrick on this important recognition. buff.ly/b3SeMYf

We were excited to celebrate 18 outstanding young scientists at our fifth annual Capstone Celebration, held April 21. This event celebrates graduates of FAU High School, Jupiter Campus, in partnership with our Max Planck Academy. Read more, and please join us in wishing them the best! bit.ly/4d8Pyly

Have you registered for Brain Exploration Day yet? On Saturday, May 9 from 10 am to 2 pm we are opening up the institute for a fun day of hands-on activities and science demonstrations. Brain Exploration Day is free - but advance registration is required. Sign up today! buff.ly/nW4n42E

Congratulations to Dr. Raphael Heldman, who earned his doctorate through the IMPRS-SC program! Raphi successfully defended his PhD thesis, which revealed how the brain uses self-motion to estimate distance traveled. We look forward to seeing where Dr. Heldman's talents and curiosity lead him next!

MPFI's @rangarajuvidhya.bsky.social recently joined neuroscientists from Columbia University and Mount Sinai for a town hall on memory, brain health, and cognitive aging, hosted by @southfloridapbs.bsky.social. Read more about her insights and find out how you can watch the special: buff.ly/NCaA7J0

Celebrating another talented grad from our IMPRS PhD program, in partnership with Florida Atlantic University. Congratulations to Dr. Goksu Menton, who successfully defended her thesis," A Light-Operated Kinase Inhibitor Strategy & Its In Vitro and In Vivo Applications" yesterday. Way to go, Goksu!

Today is the last chance to have your impact on education DOUBLED! Thanks to a generous gift from the Stiles Nicholson Foundation & The Pray Family your gift to our Ask Max education program will be matched up to $50,000. The challenge ends tonight at midnight - so don't wait! buff.ly/IcqQb3g

If you've ever toured MPFI, you've likely met Dr. Naomi Kamasawa. Now, after 15+ years of electron microscopy, she is retiring. With 50+ publications & countless talks and outreach events, Naomi has inspired thousands to get excited about microscopy. Please join us in wishing her a happy retirement!

IMPRS-SC Alumna Dr. Zidan Yang has received the Larry Katz Memorial Lecture Award. In appreciation of the late Larry Katz for his pioneering work, this honor is awarded to a grad student who has done “the most original and significant work in the past 2 years on neuronal circuits.” buff.ly/iOsB6S6

It's Science Appreciation Day & we are feeling the love thanks to Wellington High School and Eagles Landing Middle School students who took the time to send thank you notes and slides to our researchers and education staff, thanking them for their work. We're grateful for our community's support!

Congratulations to Dr. Carina Arnold, the latest grad from our joint MPFI/FAU IMPRS PhD program! Carina completed her doctoral work in the Blakely Lab at Florida Atlantic University, advancing our understanding of how serotonin signaling shapes behavior at the molecular level. Congrats, Dr. Arnold!

We’re still catching our breath from Sunposium 2026! From deciphering neural circuits to showcasing bidirectional neurotech, the summit reiterated that amazing breakthroughs arise through global collaboration. Explore the highlights: www.mpfi.org/sunposium-20...

Today is our last day of #Sunposium2026 and we would like to recognize one of our signature sponsors, @thorlabs.bsky.social, for your support! We enjoyed learning about new advances in Mini2P Imaging and other exciting advanced imaging technology. Learn more about Thorlabs at buff.ly/e8PhxoN

Excited to be here at the @mpfneuro.bsky.social #Sunposium26 where we are demonstrating our Mini2P with Spark Lasers. If you're nearby, visit us at booth 102!🔬

Thank you to @zeiss-microscopy.bsky.social, one of our signature sponsors of #Sunposium2026. From exhibiting at the event to presenting captivating technology talks, ZEISS has been a big part of making our event a success! Learn more about their innovative microscopy solutions at buff.ly/YysjhJx