Lieber Institute for Brain Development

05/31/2026

It's not that crazy to believe when you have a team of scientists like we do at Lieber. 🧠

The future of mental health treatment is being built through collaboration, innovation, and cutting edge brain research. Our scientists are using advanced technology, artificial intelligence, genetics, and global scientific partnerships to better understand disorders like schizophrenia, depression, PTSD, addiction, and bipolar disorder. By studying how the brain develops and functions, Lieber researchers are uncovering the root causes of mental illness and working toward more effective treatments and prevention. Every discovery brings us closer to real answers for individuals and families affected by brain disorders.

Learn more about the work we do by going to our website. Our YouTube channel also highlights some of our team members and the heart behind what they do.

05/26/2026

We recently watched a segment on WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore featuring Kerry Graves, Executive Director of NAMI Metropolitan Baltimore, discussing common myths and facts about mental illness. One question really stood out to us:
Are people with serious mental illness more likely to commit violent crimes?
What do you think? Fact or myth?

(Spoiler: both anchors guessed wrong.)

❌ MYTH.

In reality, people living with serious mental illness are actually more likely to be victims of violent crime. While headlines and media portrayals often paint a different picture, the truth is that mental illness can leave people more vulnerable and susceptible to dangerous situations.

Conversations like this matter. The more we challenge misconceptions and share accurate information about mental health, the easier it becomes for people to seek help and for communities to support them with compassion instead of fear.

💬 What is one misconception about mental illness that you wish more people understood?

05/25/2026

Our research suggests that many of the genetic and biological changes linked to schizophrenia may happen during early brain development, long before symptoms appear in the teen or adult years.

Lieber scientists are discovering that small disruptions in how the brain develops and forms connections may quietly shape a person’s risk over time. Understanding those early changes could help researchers identify schizophrenia sooner, develop better treatments, and eventually create ways to prevent the disorder altogether.

Imagine how much more supported people and families could feel if help began early in life, instead of only after a serious crisis.

05/24/2026

Schizophrenia often reshapes a person’s life. For many patients, current treatments either don’t work well enough or come with debilitating side effects.

That’s why scientists like Dr. Michael Nagel are working to change the future of treatment. Using artificial intelligence, Dr. Nagel and our team are analyzing massive amounts of brain data to uncover patterns that were once impossible to see. Their goal is to design smarter, more targeted drugs for schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses.

🧠 This World Schizophrenia Day, we’re highlighting the researchers who are using every tool available to change lives.

🎥 Watch the full video on our YouTube channel to learn how is helping reshape the future of mental health.

05/22/2026

Excited to watch this documentary and to see one of the country's top research universities bringing light to maternal mental health.

Motherhood. It is supposed to be one of the most magical times of a woman’s life. Statistics show for one in five women, it turns into the hardest struggle they have ever faced. In a new documentary that is now streaming, psychiatric experts from around the world, including UNC School of Medicine Executive Dean, Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody, provide insight on why it is so important to give women access to care, including the tools and knowledge to get well.

Mothers who are struggling with their mental health can contact the UNC Center for Women's Mood Disorders and explore other resources on the center's website: https://unc.live/4f1zDqI

To learn more about the documentary, click the link in our comments section.

05/19/2026

Good news looks like:
🧠 giving families clearer answers about how Down syndrome affects brain development.
🧠 discovering that the health of the placenta may help predict disorders like schizophrenia years before symptoms appear.
🧠 advancing clinically approved drugs that could improve outcomes for people living with developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, absent speech, and breathing abnormalities.

Every day, our scientists are working to bring more good news into the world of brain health.

What is a brain disorder you would like to hear more good news about??

05/18/2026

Congratulations to on receiving a Travel Award from the Society for Biological Psychiatry to present at their annual meeting in New York City! Dr. Phillips showcased work related to the brain’s “reward center”: the part responsible for motivation, pleasure, and that nagging voice that thinks fast food at 11pm is a good idea. 🍟

Scientists can use these findings to help uncover how disorders like depression, addiction, and schizophrenia develop, leading to better treatments. Talk about a dopamine rush! 😉

05/18/2026

Some of our greatest moments happen outside the lab!

Dr. Evgeny Shlevkov flew to Spain recently and presented at the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Biobizkaia . In front of an internationally diverse group of researchers, he spoke about how we take our work in genetics and transform it into pharmaceutical solutions. His travels are proof that we will do just about anything - and go just about anywhere - to collaborate with the greatest minds.

Huge thanks to Centro de Neurociencias Cajal - CSIC for making this happen!

05/17/2026

Think of fluorescent proteins like color coded tabs in a planner.🌈🧠
Each glowing color helps scientists organize and identify different parts of brain tissue that would otherwise be impossible to tell apart. We end up with beautiful images that contain answers to some of the brain's biggest mysteries.

You can watch the full video on our YouTubechannel! Thanks to Dr. Stephanie Cerceo Page for letting us follow her around with a giant camera!

05/12/2026

Congratulations, Dr. Sang Ho Kwon! 🎉

Sang Ho successfully defended his PhD thesis, “Spatial Gene Expression Landscape of the Human Cortex in Health and Disease,” through the BCMB training program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

It has been a privilege to support Sang Ho’s work at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development alongside mentors Dr. Keri Martinowich and Dr. Kristen Maynard. His creativity, perseverance, and enthusiasm for team science have made a meaningful impact across many projects.

We’re excited to see what’s ahead.