Portrait of a smiling man with short brown-and-gray hair and a salt-and-pepper beard, wearing a light blue collared shirt in a laboratory or pharmacy setting.

Michael Greenberg, Ph.D.

Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School
Professor of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital
Director of the Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research, Harvard Medical School
617-432-2510
Greenberg Lab Website

Michael Greenberg, Ph.D. – Faculty Profile

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Title: Nathan Marsh Pusey Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School; Director of the Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research, Harvard Medical School; Professor of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital.

The Aim

The Greenberg Lab studies how life experiences turn genes on or off to shape learning and brain development. The lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms by which sensory experiences regulate gene expression in the brain.

The Impact

This research has illuminated how the brain rewires itself in response to experience, a process essential for learning, memory, and behavior. Several of the genes and pathways the lab has identified are mutated in autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, positioning this work as foundational for developing new therapies for these conditions.

A Closer Look

Article: State of Stasis , Harvard Medical School / Harvard Gazette, June 2020. This piece describes how Mike Greenberg and colleagues identified a tiny cluster of hypothalamic neurons that can flip mice into and out of a hibernation‑like state, or torpor, revealing brain circuits that dial down body temperature and metabolism and opening avenues for understanding suspended animation and its medical uses.

Article: Decoding Brain Evolution , Harvard Medical School, December 2021. This article highlights Mike Greenberg’s co‑leadership of the Allen Discovery Center for Human Brain Evolution, which links evolutionary genetic variants to their effects in neurons to explain how human brains acquired uniquely human cognitive and behavioral capacities.

Contact

Email: michael_greenberg@hms.harvard.edu
Lab website: greenberg.hms.harvard.edu

Publications View
Mitophagy Facilitates Cytosolic Proteostasis to Preserve Cardiac Function.
Authors: Authors: Rawnsley DR, Islam M, Zhao C, Guan X, Kargar Gaz Kooh Y, Mendoza A, Navid H, Kumari M, Pandi P, Murphy JT, Nigro J, Kovacs A, Greenberg L, Mani K, Greenberg M, Huebsch N, Ma X, Diwan A.
Circ Res
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The functional diversification of somatosensory neuron repertoires across Mammalia.
Authors: Authors: Shuster SA, Xiao JY, Gegenhuber B, Bhuiyan SA, Dai M, Chen Y, DeLisle MM, Sheng P, Howell E, Brecht M, Gracheva EO, Moss CF, Paul DL, Abdus-Saboor I, Fishell G, Renthal W, Greenberg ME, Ginty DD.
bioRxiv
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A Biological Function for the Neuronal Activity-Dependent Component of Bdnf Transcription in the Development of Cortical Inhibition.
Authors: Authors: Hong EJ, McCord AE, Greenberg ME.
Neuron
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Astrocyte glucocorticoid receptor signalling restricts neuronal plasticity.
Authors: Authors: Gegenhuber B, Sonoda T, Traunmüller L, Davis CP, Koren SA, Griffith EC, Chen C, Greenberg ME.
Nature
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Genomic approaches for understanding the evolution of the human brain.
Authors: Authors: Song JHT, Greenberg ME, Reich D, Walsh CA.
Nat Neurosci
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Skeletal Effect of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide in Patients with Increased Risk of Fractures.
Authors: Authors: Liu Y, Walzer D, Schmitz S, Shukla AP, Ma X, Chirko D, Pipia I, Sathi S, Shukairy U, Greenberg M, Kashyap SR, Stein EM.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab
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Surgical and Anesthesia-Related Concerns forRobot-Assisted Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.
Authors: Authors: Kucera JA, Hughes F, Wolf SEM, Greenberg M, Jooste E, Mensah-Mamfo M, Reynolds L, Overbey DM, Turek JW, Einhorn L, Ames W, Diaz-Rodriguez N.
J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth
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Cell-specific delivery of GJB2 restores auditory function in mouse models of DFNB1 deafness and mediates appropriate expression in NHP cochlea.
Authors: Authors: Ivanchenko MV, Booth KTA, Karavitaki KD, Antonellis LM, Nagy MA, Peters CW, Price S, Li Y, Lytvyn A, Ward A, Griffith EC, Hrvatin S, Greenberg ME, Corey DP.
Nat Commun
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Polarized Signaling Endosomes Coordinate BDNF-Induced Chemotaxis of Cerebellar Precursors.
Authors: Authors: Zhou P, Porcionatto M, Pilapil M, Chen Y, Choi Y, Tolias KF, Bikoff JB, Hong EJ, Greenberg ME, Segal RA.
Neuron
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ZMYND11 Restrains KMT2A to Enable a Neuronal Developmental Program.
Authors: Authors: Greben AW, Wu XS, Robb JE, Vogel IR, Traunmüller L, Krüttner S, Fulton KA, Darcera MVL, Griffith EC, Greenberg ME.
bioRxiv
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