FINAL_OM-IR-2026_Report-PDF-Version_Pages-Compressed - Flipbook - Page 22
Annegret Falkner, PhD
One Mind Rising Star Award
Depression and anxiety frequently spike during hormonal
transitions — after childbirth, during menopause, across
the menstrual cycle. Dr. Falkner’s lab is investigating how
sudden drops in estrogen destabilize neural circuits
involved in cognition, emotion, and decision-making,
a phenomenon measurable through a novel biomarker
she calls “neural state 昀氀ipping.” Her research aims to test
whether enhancing estrogen receptor sensitivity in
targeted cell types can prevent this destabilization without
the systemic side e昀昀ects of traditional hormone therapy,
laying groundwork for precision hormone treatments
applicable to both women and men.
Andrew Moses Lee, MD, PhD
One Mind–Burroughs Wellcome
Fund Rising Star Award
For the roughly 10% of OCD patients who don’t respond
to therapy or medication, deep brain stimulation — small
electrical pulses delivered to speci昀椀c brain regions — can
o昀昀er relief. But it only works for about 60% of those who
try it, and dialing in the right settings can take months of
trial and error. Dr. Lee is building a smarter system: one that
reads brain activity in real time and automatically adjusts
stimulation based on what the brain is actually doing at that
moment, more like a pacemaker for mood than a 昀椀xed signal.
The goal is a brain stimulator system that adjusts in real
time based on the patient’s own brain signals.
ONE MIND
2025 Annual Impact Report
