Michael Greenberg

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
Activity-Regulated Transcription: Bridging the Gap between Neural Activity and Behavior.
Authors: Authors: Yap EL, Greenberg ME.
Neuron
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Correction: Mapping the genomic landscape of inherited retinal disease genes prioritizes genes prone to coding and noncoding copy-number variations.
Authors: Authors: Van Schil K, Naessens S, Van de Sompele S, Carron M, Aslanidis A, Van Cauwenbergh C, Mayer AK, Van Heetvelde M, Bauwens M, Verdin H, Coppieters F, Greenberg ME, Yang MG, Karlstetter M, Langmann T, De Preter K, Kohl S, Cherry TJ, Leroy BP, De Baere E.
Genet Med
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Visual Experience-Dependent Expression of Fn14 Is Required for Retinogeniculate Refinement.
Authors: Authors: Cheadle L, Tzeng CP, Kalish BT, Harmin DA, Rivera S, Ling E, Nagy MA, Hrvatin S, Hu L, Stroud H, Burkly LC, Chen C, Greenberg ME.
Neuron
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Publisher Correction: Single-cell analysis of experience-dependent transcriptomic states in the mouse visual cortex.
Authors: Authors: Hrvatin S, Hochbaum DR, Nagy MA, Cicconet M, Robertson K, Cheadle L, Zilionis R, Ratner A, Borges-Monroy R, Klein AM, Sabatini BL, Greenberg ME.
Nat Neurosci
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Mapping the genomic landscape of inherited retinal disease genes prioritizes genes prone to coding and noncoding copy-number variations.
Authors: Authors: Van Schil K, Naessens S, Van de Sompele S, Carron M, Aslanidis A, Van Cauwenbergh C, Kathrin Mayer A, Van Heetvelde M, Bauwens M, Verdin H, Coppieters F, Greenberg ME, Yang MG, Karlstetter M, Langmann T, De Preter K, Kohl S, Cherry TJ, Leroy BP, De Baere E.
Genet Med
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Single-cell transcriptomics of the developing lateral geniculate nucleus reveals insights into circuit assembly and refinement.
Authors: Authors: Kalish BT, Cheadle L, Hrvatin S, Nagy MA, Rivera S, Crow M, Gillis J, Kirchner R, Greenberg ME.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
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Single-cell analysis of experience-dependent transcriptomic states in the mouse visual cortex.
Authors: Authors: Hrvatin S, Hochbaum DR, Nagy MA, Cicconet M, Robertson K, Cheadle L, Zilionis R, Ratner A, Borges-Monroy R, Klein AM, Sabatini BL, Greenberg ME.
Nat Neurosci
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Lineage divergence of activity-driven transcription and evolution of cognitive ability.
Authors: Authors: Hardingham GE, Pruunsild P, Greenberg ME, Bading H.
Nat Rev Neurosci
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AP-1 Transcription Factors and the BAF Complex Mediate Signal-Dependent Enhancer Selection.
Authors: Authors: Vierbuchen T, Ling E, Cowley CJ, Couch CH, Wang X, Harmin DA, Roberts CWM, Greenberg ME.
Mol Cell
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Early-Life Gene Expression in Neurons Modulates Lasting Epigenetic States.
Authors: Authors: Stroud H, Su SC, Hrvatin S, Greben AW, Renthal W, Boxer LD, Nagy MA, Hochbaum DR, Kinde B, Gabel HW, Greenberg ME.
Cell
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