Ready access to and excessive consumption of high-calorie foods are widely held to be key contributing factors in the development and progression of obesity. The link has been observed in people, but also tested repeatedly in animals.

Researchers led by a BBRF grantee have reported progress in developing an RNA-based therapy to treat neurodevelopmental disorders, including some autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). RNA, like DNA, is a fundamental biological material. In the nucleus of cells, messenger RNAs (mRNAs) carry instructions encoded in DNA to cellular factories outside the nucleus called ribosomes, which assemble the many thousands of proteins that are the basis of all living structures and which perform myriad roles in living organisms.

We are pleased to present you with the 2025 Leading Research Achievements by BBRF Grantees, Prize Winners & Scientific Council Members.

We are pleased to present you with the 2025 Leading Research Achievements by BBRF Grantees, Prize Winners & Scientific Council Members.

As the calendar turns to a new year, many of us start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Eat better. Exercise more. Save money. Lose weight. The idea of a fresh start can feel hopeful. But for many people, resolutions can also bring pressure — and all too often, disappointment. By February, it’s common to feel like we’ve already fallen short. The new year doesn’t have to be about drastic change or self-criticism, though. Instead, it can be an opportunity to reset expectations and focus on what truly supports our emotional well-being.

Leaders from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) discuss how the organization accelerates scientific discovery to improve the understanding, treatment, and prevention of mental illness.

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A research team led by a recent BBRF grantee has developed and tested in a first patient a novel protocol designed to identify optimal personalized brain stimulation targets for severe, treatment-resistant OCD. Once identified, the team used these targets to guide precise implantation of a deep-brain stimulation (DBS) device whose subsequent activation resulted in rapid and acute reduction of the patient’s OCD symptoms (62% lower 6 months after the procedure).

NEW YORK, N.Y. (November 19, 2025) — The holiday season often brings joy, gatherings, and tradition — but for many, it can also heighten feelings of stress, loneliness, or grief. Experts from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF) are encouraging people to take simple, proactive steps to protect their mental well-being during this emotionally charged time of year.

Teachers, school counselors, and other educational professionals are on the front line of interacting with children with mental health issues and can often be among some of the first people to see that a child is struggling. Enhancing the potential for early intervention is important and because educational professionals have relationships with students and their families, they are able to make appropriate referrals for evaluation.

Teachers, school counselors, and other educational professionals are on the front line of interacting with children with mental health issues and can often be among some of the first people to see that a child is struggling. Enhancing the potential for early intervention is important and because educational professionals have relationships with students and their families, they are able to make appropriate referrals for evaluation.

What happens in the brain when we fall asleep? Researchers who study this question hope to understand not only how sleep provides an interval during which the brain can repair and restore itself, but also how natural variations or dysfunction in the processes associated with the sleep/wake transition and the progression through various sleep phases may be involved in sleep-related disorders.