Ilana B. Witten facts for kids

Ilana B. Witten is an American neuroscientist who studies how the brain learns and makes decisions. She is a professor at Princeton University. Her research focuses on the brain's reward system. This system is what makes you feel good when you achieve a goal or get a treat. She wants to understand the brain circuits that control learning and decision-making.

Early Life and Schooling

Ilana Witten grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. Her parents, Edward Witten and Chiara Nappi, were both physics professors at Princeton University. She went to Princeton High School and then decided to attend Princeton University for college.

At first, Witten studied physics, just like her parents. But she soon became fascinated by biology, especially the brain. As a student, she worked in different science labs. For her final project, she studied how the eye's retina sends information to the brain. She graduated with a degree in physics in 2002.

After college, Witten knew she wanted to study the brain more. She went to Stanford University for her Ph.D. in neuroscience. There, she studied how barn owls use their hearing to understand the world.

Studying the Brains of Barn Owls

Witten's early research at Stanford focused on barn owls. These birds have amazing hearing that helps them locate sounds. Witten wanted to know how an owl's brain can track a moving sound, like a mouse rustling in the leaves.

She discovered that the owl's brain doesn't just hear where the sound is. It actually predicts where the sound is going to be. This helps the owl turn its head to follow the sound perfectly. This work showed how the brain can make predictions to guide behavior.

Groundbreaking Research Career

After earning her Ph.D. in 2008, Witten stayed at Stanford for more research. She joined the lab of Karl Deisseroth, a scientist famous for helping invent a new technology called optogenetics.

Using Light to Study the Brain

Optogenetics is a revolutionary technique that lets scientists use light to turn specific brain cells on or off. Witten learned to use this tool to study the brain's reward circuits. She was especially interested in a rare type of brain cell called a cholinergic interneuron.

In an important study, Witten looked at these cells in a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. This area is key for learning about rewards. She found that even though these special cells are rare, they have a huge impact on how the brain learns. Her work showed how a small number of brain cells can control important behaviors.

This discovery was so important that Witten and Deisseroth thought it could one day help people. They imagined using this technology to help people overcome strong, unhealthy habits by targeting specific brain circuits.

Starting Her Own Lab

In 2012, Witten was hired by Princeton University to be a professor. She started her own lab at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute. There, she and her team continue to study the brain circuits that control reward learning and decision-making.

They use many advanced techniques, including optogenetics, to watch the brain in action. By studying how the brain works, they hope to discover new ways to understand behavior. In 2018, Witten became an associate professor with tenure at Princeton.

Key Discoveries

Witten's lab has made several important discoveries about how the brain's reward system works.

How Dopamine Works in the Brain

Dopamine is a chemical in the brain often called the "feel-good" chemical. Witten's team studied dopamine cells that connect to different parts of the brain.

They found that dopamine cells do different jobs depending on where they send signals. Some cells are more active when an animal gets a reward. Other cells are more active when an animal makes a choice. This showed that the brain's reward system is more complex than people once thought.

Understanding Social Behavior

Since interacting with others can be rewarding, Witten also studies the brain circuits for social behavior. Her team found a group of brain cells that help the brain link social information with spatial information. For example, this circuit helps an animal remember where it had a positive or negative social experience.

This research helps explain how our brains guide our social choices based on past experiences.

Awards and Honors

Ilana Witten has received many awards for her important research. Here are a few of them:

• 2017 Daniel X Freedman Prize for Exceptional Basic Research
• 2017 NYSCF-Robertson Neuroscience Investigator Award
• 2014 McKnight Scholars Award in Neuroscience
• 2013 Pew Scholarship in the Biomedical Sciences
• 2012 NIH Director's New Innovator Award