Skip to main content

We explore the brain’s circuits and activity

Discovering how information processed by networks of neurons generates our thoughts, emotions, and actions

Our Mission

From individual neurons to the whole brain, we work to reveal how the brain interprets environments to make decisions.

Learn about our team

Our approach

Innovative methods and groundbreaking discoveries to deepen our understanding of the brain, while paving the way for new treatments for brain disorders.

Scientists at the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics analyze and trace the path of signaling in neural circuits cascading across the whole brain and body.

Our approach is focused on how the parts of the brain work together to produce behavior. Teams of researchers develop next-generation neurotechnologies that capture rich data that are shared with the wider scientific community.  

Open Science

We are doing science in the open. Our data and tools are openly available to the community.

Explore our Open Tools
Learn more about Open Science
Collaborative Process

We work in a coordinated manner to address complex and deep scientific challenges, leveraging the joint strengths and expertise of diverse scientists and technical staff.​

Learn more about our team

Platforms accelerate our work

Surgery

The Surgery team offers a variety of aseptic rodent surgical procedures ranging from stereotaxic injections to headpost implantation and cranial windowing.

Explore platform

Neuropixels Electrophysiology

The Neuropixels platform uses pioneering technology for highly reproducible, targeted, brain-wide, cell-type-specific electrophysiology to record neural activity from defined neuron types across the brain.

Explore platform

Brain-Wide Anatomy at Cellular Resolution

The Molecular Anatomy platform combines innovative histology, imaging, and analysis techniques to map the morphology and molecular identity of neuron types across the whole brain.

Explore platform

Fiber Photometry

The Fiber Photometry platform enables optical measurement of neural activity in live animals to study neural circuits' function and dynamics in behaving animals.

Explore platform

Behavior

The Behavior platform uses advanced technology to implement a standardized, modular, multi-task virtual reality gymnasium for mice, with the goal to study brain function across different behaviors at scale.

Explore platform

Projects

Team-based research efforts, with the primary goal of answering a foundational scientific question to make discoveries.

Explore all projects

Behavior and Motor Control

We are developing and using genetic, electrophysiological, optical, and behavioral approaches to investigate how the brain adaptively controls behavior. The team focuses on understanding the descending circuits that control the execution of actions and how they change when actions are reinforced and refined.

Explore project

Brain-Wide Circuit Dynamics

We are using large-scale electrophysiology to study how distributed brain regions coordinate their spiking activity to guide behavior in changing environments.

Explore project

Neural Dynamics in Multi-Regional Circuits with Thalamus in the Middle

We are uncovering how neural signals are transmitted from subcortical brain regions via the thalamus to modulate cortical activity and thereby influence behavior.

Explore project

Get Involved

Upcoming events

Explore events calendar

Neuro-Hackathon at University of Washington

Join us for the annual Neuro-Hackathon hosted by Synaptech, CoNECT, UW Computational Neuroscience Center, and the Allen Institute.

Participants have 36 hours to create a hackathon project using a neurotechnology device (EEG, EMG, VR headset, and more!) and/or a BCI dataset from the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics.   

Individuals interested in neuroscience, computer science, data science, and engineering are encouraged to participate or apply to be a mentor or judge.  

Event details

Cosyne Tutorial 2026

Open Data from the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics

At the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, we are collecting neurophysiology and behavior data to understand how the neural dynamics across brain-wide circuits drive decision-making and learning. In this tutorial, we will introduce the AIND data resources as well as our open data platform for collaborative research.  

‍

Event details

Summer Workshop on the Dynamic Brain 2026

The 2026 Summer Workshop on the Dynamic Brain is an intensive, project-based residential course with a focus on the neurobiology of sensory processing, coding, and neural population dynamics. This program is intended for researchers at the graduate and postdoctoral level with an interest in developing the intersection of their scientific knowledge and their computational skills.

Applications are due February 1, 2026.

‍

Event details