MIT gets $50M gift for brain research

By Matthew French

MIT this week received a $50 million gift from the Picower Foundation, earmarked for brain and cognitive research.

Researchers at MIT have for years been examining the intricate functioning of the brain and the malfunctions associated with schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's and other brain disorders.

The $50 million is the single largest gift given to MIT by a private foundation in the university's history.

The gift will permanently establish the Picower Center for Learning and Memory at MIT, directed by Nobel laureate Susumu Tonegawa, professor of biology and neurosciences and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. The center is one of four MIT entities exploring brain and cognitive science.

The Picower Foundation, based in Palm Beach, Fla., is one of the largest private donors in the country, supporting a wide range of medical research, arts and educational programs across the country.

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