FINAL_OM-IR-2026_Report-PDF-Version_Pages-Compressed - Flipbook - Page 31
examining what the 昀椀eld now knows about
BD2 Breakthrough Discoveries award to
the eCB system across developmental
lead a multi-site bipolar disorder study at
psychopathology, and what therapeutic
Mount Sinai, one of the largest awards in the
opportunities that knowledge opens.
program’s funding round.
Dr. Hilary Marusak turned a $300,000
One Mind Rising Star grant into one of
the 昀椀eld’s most ambitious investigations.
Dr. Saez and his team are focused on
recording electrical activity in the brains of
people living with bipolar disorder to identify
how the network dynamics shift with mood
states. The goal is to build a comprehensive
The science Dr. Marusak is building doesn’t
map of the brain to inform targeted
stay in the lab. As co-founder of Science
treatments and interventions before a mood
Policy Network-Detroit and host of the
episode takes hold.
BrainSTEM podcast, she actively translates
research 昀椀ndings into public understanding
and policy conversations — ensuring that
evidence, not perception, shapes how
communities think about cannabis, youth,
Rewiring the
Depressed Brain
and mental health.
Breaking the Cycle of Depressive
Rumination
Understanding the
Neural Mechanisms
of Bipolar Disorder
In 2022, Dr. Alex Kwan received a One
Mind Rising Star Award for his work
visualizing how psychiatric drugs alter brain
circuits. Depression can create a pattern
called rumination, where the same negative
thoughts repeat in a continuous loop. Dr.
Mapping How the Brain Network Changes
Kwan’s research exploring how psilocybin
With Moods
can reshape brain circuits and break this
One Mind recognized Dr. Ignacio Saez with
cycle was published in Cell in December
a Rising Star Award in 2023, based on his
of 2025. His lab found that a single dose of
work exploring the human brain’s circuitry to
psilocybin increases the number of neuronal
better understand and treat mental illness.
connections in the brain by approximately
In 2025, Dr. Saez secured a $4.5 million
10%. By using a combination of psilocybin
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