Bernardo Sabatini

Bernardo Sabatini is the Alice and Rodman W. Moorhead III Professor of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School and Co-Director of the Kempner Institute for the Study of Natural and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University. His research focuses on synapse function, circuit plasticity, and their roles in learning and neuropsychiatric disorders like Tuberous Sclerosis Complex and Parkinson’s Disease.

His work explores how developmental changes after birth enable learning, how circuit changes are triggered during learning, and how disruptions in these processes contribute to disease. Recent studies investigate thyroid hormone’s role in cortical circuitry and metabolism, as well as the neurobiology of decision-making and reward systems.

• Key research areas: Synaptic plasticity, neuronal circuitry, neuropsychiatric disorders, hormonal regulation of behavior, and developmental neuroscience.

Notable recent findings include the discovery of glioma-innervating neuron properties, the role of thyroid hormone in cortical reorganization, and the dynamics of cortical reactivations predicting sensory responses. Sabatini’s lab also investigates mechanisms linking socioeconomic factors to triiodothyronine levels and health outcomes.

He collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, including neurophotonic tools for neural interfacing and viral tracing techniques to map brain circuits. His work bridges molecular, cellular, and systems neuroscience to address fundamental questions in brain function and disease.