About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the benefit of humanity.
Apr 29, 2020...
An unconscious person’s response to odors after a serious brain injury may be a simple yet powerful signal of how aware they are and how likely they are to survive and recover, a new study suggests, relying on responses to the scent of shampoo and the stench of rotting fish.
Patients who survive brain damage from trauma, stroke, or heart attack are plunged into forms of unconsciousness that vary from minimal consciousness to unresponsive wakefulness, sometimes called a vegetative state. Specialists trying to tell who is in which state have fared only a little better than a coin flip: About 4 in 10 people thought to be unconscious are actually aware.
Jun 15, 2020... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—June 15, 2020—During the pandemic lockdown, as couples have been forced to spend days and weeks in one another’s company, some have found their love renewed while others are on their way to divorce court. Oxytocin, a peptide produced in the brain, is complicated in that way: a neuromodulator, it may bring hearts together or it can help induce aggression. That conclusion arises from unique research led by Weizmann Institute of Science researchers in which mice living in semi-natural conditions had their oxytocin-producing brain cells manipulated in a highly precise manner. The findings, which were published in Neuron, could shed new light on efforts to use oxytocin to treat a variety of psychiatric conditions, from social anxiety and autism to schizophrenia.
Jun 29, 2020...
A joint study by Tel Aviv University (TAU) and Weizmann Institute of Science researchers has yielded an innovative method for bolstering memory processes in the brain during sleep.
The method relies on a memory-evoking scent administered to one nostril. It helps researchers understand how sleep aids memory, and in the future could possibly help to restore memory capabilities following brain injuries or help treat people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for whom memory often serves as a trigger.
Jul 16, 2020...
Our mental health is always important, but more so than ever during these challenging times. Between the ongoing COVID pandemic, economic insecurity, social turmoil, and the like, rates of anxiety and depression are skyrocketing. How to cope? And why do we experience mental health issues in the first place?
As with the coronavirus, the answers are found in science.
The Weizmann Institute’s renowned neuroscientists do more than study the brain; they investigate how this most mysterious of organs responds to the world, processes our experiences, plays a role in emotional response, consolidates memories, becomes ill, and more. Our scientists also seek to develop effective medications and treatments. As Prof. Alon Chen – a renowned expert in neuropsychiatry and Weizmann Institute president – says, “I strongly believe that when we identify the mechanisms in the brain, we can use them to develop better ways to treat these conditions.”
Aug 13, 2020... Prof. Eran Hornstein, a member of the steering committee for Weizmann’s new Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences, discusses this important flagship project, which will bring together experts in multiple disciplines to understand mental illness, advance treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and much more. He explains why Weizmann is in an ideal position to uncover the brain's mysteries, with more than 40 internationally renowned research groups dedicated to addressing the most pressing topics in neuroscience.
Sep 10, 2020...
A novel treatment for Alzheimer’s, developed by one of Israel’s top scientists, is preparing to launch a Phase 1 clinical trial and, if successful, it could change the course of the disease and arrest its progression.
The therapy, developed by ImmunoBrain Checkpoint and based on 20 years of work by Prof. Michal Schwartz of the Weizmann Institute of Science demonstrating that the immune system is needed for the maintenance of healthy brain function and repair, would contribute to the understanding of the biology of Alzheimer’s disease.
Jan 07, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—January 7, 2021—Some people lose their eyesight, yet continue to “see.” This phenomenon, a kind of vivid visual hallucination, is named after Swiss doctor Charles Bonnet, who described in 1769 how his completely blind grandfather experienced intense, detailed visions of people, animals, and objects. Charles Bonnet syndrome was investigated in a study led by scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The findings, published in Brain, suggest a mechanism by which normal, spontaneous activity in the visual centers of the brain can trigger visual hallucinations in the blind.
Jan 19, 2021... Prof. Rony Paz, Head of the Department of Neurobiology, speaks about our still-mysterious brains. While they can do remarkable things, they also produce conditions such as PTSD, anxiety, autism, and the like – all of which are on the rise worldwide.
Jan 09, 2021...
Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science have found what they say might be the cause of "Charles Bonnet syndrome," a phenomenon in which blind people continue to "see" due to vivid visual hallucinations. The research also indicated that the same visual system that humans use to see is active when humans hallucinate or even imagine.
The findings, published in the journal Brain, show a mechanism which may enable normal activity in the brain's vision centers to trigger the hallucinations in the blind. Researchers revealed a connection between resting-state brain fluctuations - mysterious but common brain occurrences which happen when humans are not conscious - and visual hallucinations in the blind.
Jan 05, 2021... SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA—January 5, 2021—The American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science announced that Bay Area philanthropists Dr. Gladys Monroy and Larry Marks have increased their support of brain research at the Weizmann Institute by more than $5 million. Their giving towards neuroscience at Weizmann now totals more than $11 million. Located in Rehovot, Israel, the Weizmann Institute is one of the world’s leading centers of multidisciplinary scientific research and graduate study.
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