Lieber Institute for Brain Development

Lieber Institute for Brain Development Translating genetic insights into next generation treatments. LIBD partners with academic, pharmaceutical, foundation, and government agencies world-wide.

The Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD) was established in 2010 through the historic gift of Constance & Stephen Lieber and Milton & Tamar Maltz as an independent, not-for-profit medical research institute with end-to-end capabilities under one roof. LIBD translates genetic insights into breakthrough treatments utilizing unparalleled resources in human brain tissue and human cell lines to understand the developmental origins of schizophrenia and related brain disorders. Affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, LIBD is led by Dr. Daniel Weinberger, formerly the head of the Genes, Cognition and Psychosis Program at the National Institute of Mental Health, and includes a world-class team of scientists with over 200 years’ cumulative experience and 2,500 published scientific papers. The Institute is committed to a collaborative approach and invests in building research networks and partnerships to accelerate scientific discovery.

10/13/2025

Dr. Thomas Hyde shares a little about the motivations behind the generous donations that so many families have made to our research. Dr. Hyde manages our brain repository, the largest collection of postmortem brains in the world. He has a profound connection to our donor families and a deep respect for how their support fuels the incredible work we do. In fact, his respect is so great that it trickles throughout our entire lab.

Thank you to everyone that has contributed to our work and to the incredible scientists, like Dr. Hyde, who understand how their research honors the legacy of those we've been entrusted with.

10/09/2025

🎉 Today your DAF can change lives like never before.

It’s DAF Day 2025 — a nationwide celebration of generosity through Donor-Advised Funds.

When you make a DAF gift to , you’re helping us unlock the roots of mental illness, support families affected, and bring hope to millions.

Here’s how to take part:
✅ Decide which organizations to support with your DAF — like Lieber, to help advance understanding of the brain and improve mental health.

✅ Give easily and get counted in today’s impact by giving directly on our page: libd.org/donor-advised-fund
or through dafday.com and searching Lieber Institute

✅ Celebrate the power of giving together by spreading the word

🧡 Today your DAF can do more than ever before. Join us and be part of the movement.
👉 Give now: libd.org/donor-advised-fund

10/08/2025

Every brain donated to Lieber represents a family who chose hope in the face of heartbreak.

Our donor families have experienced the unimaginable, and they still choose to give. They choose to believe that through research, their loved one’s story can change someone else’s future.
That generosity allows us to study the root causes of mental illness so that fewer families have to walk the same path.

Because of them, we’re not just studying the brain. We’re changing the trajectory of mental health for generations to come.

The countdown is on — DAF Day is tomorrow! 🎉On October 9, donors across the country will come together to celebrate gene...
10/08/2025

The countdown is on — DAF Day is tomorrow! 🎉

On October 9, donors across the country will come together to celebrate generosity through Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs). It’s a chance to turn intention into action and be part of a movement that strengthens communities. ❤️

Here’s how you can join in:
✅ Choose the causes you believe in — support Lieber Institute for Brain Development
✅ Make gifts through your DAF — “checkout” faster than a credit card using DAFpay
✅ Inspire others to give boldly — share your participation and encourage friends, family, and peers to join the movement

Every DAF gift helps advance life-changing brain research and fuel new discoveries. When thousands of donors give together, that’s change we can really get excited about!

📅 Tomorrow is the day: DAF Day 2025, October 9
👉 Learn how to take part: www.libd.org/donor-advised-fund

10/06/2025

Mapping the molecular structure of the human brain to understand mental illness at its roots?
Using brain samples to unlock answers for depression, PTSD, schizophrenia?
Preventing mental illness, not just treating it?

It felt impossible, but now it's happening.

Lieber scientists, alongside scientists from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Wake Forest University, just published the most detailed map ever of the human amygdala—the brain’s emotion center. This breakthrough helps us see, for the first time, which brain cells are tied to mental health conditions… and how we might finally intervene before symptoms ever begin.

It’s not science fiction anymore. It’s the future of mental health.

Read more by going to our website or using the link in the comments.

The journey to understanding the human brain is long, but no one walks it alone. At the Lieber Institute for Brain Devel...
10/06/2025

The journey to understanding the human brain is long, but no one walks it alone. At the Lieber Institute for Brain Development, scientists and donors stand side by side, united by one purpose: to find answers for those living with mental illness.

This , October 9, you can become part of that shared mission. A Donor-Advised Fund gift fuels the research that turns curiosity into cures, and compassion into progress.

Learn how: libd.org/donor-advised-fund

10/02/2025

From brain science to cabbage harvesting, Lieber scientists do it all. 🧠🥬💪

Members of the Maher Lab recently spent the day volunteering at , a nonprofit that donates 100% of its produce to communities struggling with hunger.

Together, this crew assisted in harvesting over 3,200 cabbages! What a powerful reminder that giving back isn’t just something we study… it’s something we live. ❤️

10/01/2025

This colorful image shows different types of brain cells lighting up in response to a dose of amphetamine (a stimulant). The colors represent different types of cells, and the purple glow shows the ones that were activated by the drug.

Researchers at Lieber are using this kind of brain mapping to better understand how specific brain circuits, like the ones in the prefrontal cortex, affect things like focus and attention. It’s one more step toward unlocking how the brain works, and understanding how we can support it when things like ADHD or other attention disorders make life harder.

Congrats to Suhaas Adiraju for taking first place in the Johns Hopkins University OneNeuro FotoFriday contest last month with this image!

🧠 Learn more by going to our page or our website: www.libd.org

09/29/2025

At the Lieber Institute, we’re working to answer some of the most important questions in mental health: How do genes and environment shape the brain, and how can that knowledge help people living with psychiatric disorders?

This work isn’t easy. The brain is the most complex organ in the body and one of the hardest to study. Our progress is only possible because of the extraordinary generosity of our donor families and the ongoing support of people who believe in building a better future for brain health.

❤️ If you’ve ever wondered how you can make a difference in mental health research, this is it. Your support helps move science forward and brings us closer to real answers.

Be part of the future of brain research: www.libd.org

09/22/2025

"He always wanted to help other people.”

As we mark fifteen years of discovery and hope at the Lieber Institute, we’re reminded that our work is only possible because of the incredible generosity of donor families. Families like Nolan’s.

After losing their son in a tragic accident on his 21st birthday, Nolan’s family made the courageous decision to donate his brain to help others. Their hope? That through Nolan, young people struggling with ADHD, anxiety, or depression might one day find REAL answers that lead to a better future.

Every discovery at Lieber is rooted in a story like his. A life filled with love. A family choosing compassion. A gift that will change someone else's life.

Learn more about our mission, our fifteen-year journey, and how you support the work we do by going to our website.

09/18/2025

❓How do we take the information we learn from genes and transform it into actual cures?

Watch for yourself! 👀

Address

855 N. Wolfe Street, Suite 300
Baltimore, MD
21205

Telephone

+14109551000

Website

https://lieberbraintrust.donorsupport.co/page/braintrust

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The Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD) was established in 2010 through the historic gift of Constance & Stephen Lieber and Milton & Tamar Maltz as an independent, not-for-profit medical research institute with end-to-end capabilities under one roof. LIBD translates genetic insights into breakthrough treatments utilizing unparalleled resources in human brain tissue and human cell lines to understand the developmental origins of schizophrenia and related brain disorders. Affiliated with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, LIBD is led by Dr. Daniel Weinberger, formerly the head of the Genes, Cognition and Psychosis Program at the National Institute of Mental Health, and includes a world-class team of scientists with over 200 years’ cumulative experience and 2,500 published scientific papers. LIBD partners with academic, pharmaceutical, foundation, and government agencies world-wide. The Institute is committed to a collaborative approach and invests in building research networks and partnerships to accelerate scientific discovery.