Steve Ramirez | Profiles RNS

Steve Ramirez, PhD

Associate Professor

Boston University College of Engineering

Psychological and Brain Sciences

PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
BA, Boston University

Websites

	Psychological & Brain Sciences Faculty
	The Ramirez Group
	Rajen Kilachand Center for Integrated Life Sciences & Engineering
	The Top 30 Thinkers Under 30
	Google Scholar
	LinkedIn

ORCID : 0000-0002-9966-598X

I am an Assistant Professor at Boston University in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. The mission of my lab’s research is to artificially modulate memories to reverse and prevent psychiatric disease-like states, such as depression- and anxiety-related phenotypes. My previous work identified a defined set of cells active during various memory formation, genetically engineered these cells to respond to light, and optically activated or inhibited these cells while measuring the associated behavioral outputs. These projects focused on mapping out which brain regions were necessary and/or sufficient for memory recall, artificially creating false memories in the rodent brain, modulating the emotional strength associated with specific memories, and leveraging these aforementioned manipulations to reverse depression-like phenotypes. My current projects aim to study the brain-wide cellular mechanisms that confer therapeutic or deleterious value to artificially activated positive and negative memories in mice.

BU Research
NIH RePORTER Research

Mapping and manipulating neural memory circuits in mice (SDL) to tackle brain disorders that disproportionally affect underrepresented groups by modifying neurons tied to memory
12/01/2022 - 11/30/2027 (PI)
Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Restoring the Brain with Activated Memories
07/12/2022 - 07/12/2027 (PI)
The Pew Charitable Trusts

The effect of adolescent drug-induced neuroimmune signaling in sex-specific social development and reward learning
07/01/2022 - 03/31/2027 (Subcontract PI)
Albany Medical College NIH NIDA
5R01DA052889-03

Assessing the dynamics of hippocampal neuronal engrams in memory formation and aging
09/15/2023 - 08/31/2025 (Key Person / Mentor)
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke
1F99NS135814-01

Characterizing the neural correlates of memory-guided conflict resolution
09/01/2022 - 08/31/2025 (Key Person / Mentor)
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Neuron-Astrocyte Dynamics in Learning and Memory with Population- and Single-Cell Resolution
05/23/2023 - 05/22/2025 (PI)
Ludwig Family Foundation

Carol and Gene Ludwig Award for Neurodegeneration Research
09/24/2021 - 10/01/2024 (PI)
Ludwig Family Foundation

Discovering Principles of Memory Storage, Retrieval, and Restoration
10/01/2023 - 09/30/2024 (PI)
Department of Defense/AFOSR

Restoring Access to Memories 'Lost' as a Result of Sleep Deprivation
09/01/2021 - 08/31/2024 (PI)
Department of Defense/AFOSR

Single-Cell and Target Specific Resolution of Multiple Memories Across the Brain
09/13/2019 - 08/31/2024 (Multi-PI)
PI: Steve Ramirez, PhD
Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene NIH NICHD
5R01HD101402-05

Showing 10 of 17 results. Show All Results

Title

Yr	Title	Project-Sub Proj	Pubs
2024	2024 Optogenetic Approaches to Understanding Neural Circuits and Behavior Gordon Research Conference and Seminar	1R13NS137716-01
2023	Single-cell and target-specific resolution of multiple memories across the brain	5R01HD101402-05
2022	Single-cell and target-specific resolution of multiple memories across the brain	5R01HD101402-04
2021	Single-cell and target-specific resolution of multiple memories across the brain	5R01HD101402-03
2021	Artificially modulating memories to alleviate psychiatric disease-like states	5DP5OD023106-07	2
2020	Single-cell and target-specific resolution of multiple memories across the brain	5R01HD101402-02
2020	Artificially modulating memories to alleviate psychiatric disease-like states	5DP5OD023106-06	2
2019	Single-cell and target-specific resolution of multiple memories across the brain	1R01HD101402-01
2019	Artificially modulating memories to alleviate psychiatric disease-like states	3DP5OD023106-05S1	2
2019	Artificially modulating memories to alleviate psychiatric disease-like states	5DP5OD023106-05	2

Showing 10 of 14 results. Show All Results

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

Hou JF, Nayeem MOG, Caplan KA, Ruesch EA, Caban-Murillo A, Criado-Hidalgo E, Ornellas SB, Williams B, Pearce AA, Dagdeviren HE, Surets M, White JA, Shapiro MG, Wang F, Ramirez S, Dagdeviren C. Publisher Correction: An implantable piezoelectric ultrasound stimulator (ImPULS) for deep brain activation. Nat Commun. 2024 Jul 25; 15(1):6280.View Related Profiles.

White, John
Surets, Michelle
Ramirez, Steve

PMID: 39060245; PMCID: PMC11282187; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50181-8;

Jellinger AL, Suthard RL, Yuan B, Surets M, Ruesch EA, Caban AJ, Liu S, Shpokayte M, Ramirez S. Chronic activation of a negative engram induces behavioral and cellular abnormalities. Elife. 2024 Jul 11; 13.View Related Profiles.

Surets, Michelle
Ramirez, Steve

PMID: 38990919; PMCID: PMC11239178; DOI: 10.7554/eLife.96281;

Hou JF, Nayeem MOG, Caplan KA, Ruesch EA, Caban-Murillo A, Criado-Hidalgo E, Ornellas SB, Williams B, Pearce AA, Dagdeviren HE, Surets M, White JA, Shapiro MG, Wang F, Ramirez S, Dagdeviren C. An implantable piezoelectric ultrasound stimulator (ImPULS) for deep brain activation. Nat Commun. 2024 Jun 04; 15(1):4601.View Related Profiles.

White, John
Surets, Michelle
Ramirez, Steve

PMID: 38834558; PMCID: PMC11150473; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48748-6;

Surets M, Caban-Murillo A, Ramirez S. Prelimbic cortex ensembles promote appetitive learning-associated behavior. Learn Mem. 2024; 31(1-2).View Related Profiles.

Surets, Michelle
Ramirez, Steve

PMID: 38408863; PMCID: PMC10903945; DOI: 10.1101/lm.053892.123;

Suthard RL, Senne RA, Buzharsky MD, Diep AH, Pyo AY, Ramirez S. Engram reactivation mimics cellular signatures of fear. Cell Rep. 2024 Mar 26; 43(3):113850. PMID: 38401120

Dorst KE, Senne RA, Diep AH, de Boer AR, Suthard RL, Leblanc H, Ruesch EA, Pyo AY, Skelton S, Carstensen LC, Malmberg S, McKissick OP, Bladon JH, Ramirez S. Hippocampal Engrams Generate Variable Behavioral Responses and Brain-Wide Network States. J Neurosci. 2024 Jan 10; 44(2). PMID: 38050098; PMCID: PMC10860633; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0340-23.2023;

Dorst KE, Ramirez S. Engrams: From Behavior to Brain-Wide Networks. Adv Neurobiol. 2024; 38:13-28. PMID: 39008008

Rahsepar B, Norman JF, Noueihed J, Lahner B, Quick MH, Ghaemi K, Pandya A, Fernandez FR, Ramirez S, White JA. Theta-phase-specific modulation of dentate gyrus memory neurons. Elife. 2023 Jul 04; 12.View Related Profiles.

Noueihed, Jad
White, John
Ramirez, Steve

PMID: 37401757; PMCID: PMC10361715; DOI: 10.7554/eLife.82697;

Borzello M, Ramirez S, Treves A, Lee I, Scharfman H, Stark C, Knierim JJ, Rangel LM. Assessments of dentate gyrus function: discoveries and debates. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2023 Aug; 24(8):502-517. PMID: 37316588; PMCID: PMC10529488; DOI: 10.1038/s41583-023-00710-z;

Suthard RL, Senne RA, Buzharsky MD, Pyo AY, Dorst KE, Diep AH, Cole RH, Ramirez S. Basolateral Amygdala Astrocytes Are Engaged by the Acquisition and Expression of a Contextual Fear Memory. J Neurosci. 2023 Jul 05; 43(27):4997-5013. PMID: 37268419; PMCID: PMC10324998; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1775-22.2023;

Showing 10 of 37 results. Show More

Wilmerding LK, Kondratyev I, Ramirez S, Hasselmo ME. Route-dependent spatial engram tagging in mouse dentate gyrus. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2023 Apr; 200:107738.View Related Profiles.

Hasselmo, Michael
Ramirez, Steve

PMID: 36822466; PMCID: PMC10106405; DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107738;

Suthard RL, Jellinger AL, Surets M, Shpokayte M, Pyo AY, Buzharsky MD, Senne RA, Dorst K, Leblanc H, Ramirez S. Chronic Gq activation of ventral hippocampal neurons and astrocytes differentially affects memory and behavior. Neurobiol Aging. 2023 May; 125:9-31.View Related Profiles.

Surets, Michelle
Ramirez, Steve

PMID: 36801699

Linghu C, An B, Shpokayte M, Celiker OT, Shmoel N, Zhang R, Zhang C, Park D, Park WM, Ramirez S, Boyden ES. Recording of cellular physiological histories along optically readable self-assembling protein chains. Nat Biotechnol. 2023 May; 41(5):640-651. PMID: 36593405; PMCID: PMC10188365; DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01586-7;

Shpokayte M, McKissick O, Guan X, Yuan B, Rahsepar B, Fernandez FR, Ruesch E, Grella SL, White JA, Liu XS, Ramirez S. Hippocampal cells segregate positive and negative engrams. Commun Biol. 2022 Sep 26; 5(1):1009.View Related Profiles.

Fernandez, Fernando
White, John
Ramirez, Steve

PMID: 36163262; PMCID: PMC9512908; DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03906-8;

Grella SL, Fortin AH, Ruesch E, Bladon JH, Reynolds LF, Gross A, Shpokayte M, Cincotta C, Zaki Y, Ramirez S. Reactivating hippocampal-mediated memories during reconsolidation to disrupt fear. Nat Commun. 2022 Sep 12; 13(1):4733. PMID: 36096993; PMCID: PMC9468169; DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32246-8;

Cincotta C, Ruesch E, Senne R, Ramirez S. Hippocampal fear engrams modulate ethanol-induced maladaptive contextual generalization in mice. Hippocampus. 2022 Oct; 32(10):707-715. PMID: 35950345

Zaki Y, Mau W, Cincotta C, Monasterio A, Odom E, Doucette E, Grella SL, Merfeld E, Shpokayte M, Ramirez S. Hippocampus and amygdala fear memory engrams re-emerge after contextual fear relapse. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2022 Oct; 47(11):1992-2001. PMID: 35941286; PMCID: PMC9485238; DOI: 10.1038/s41386-022-01407-0;

Finkelstein AB, Leblanc H, Cole RH, Gallerani T, Vieira A, Zaki Y, Ramirez S. Social reactivation of fear engrams enhances memory recall. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Mar 22; 119(12):e2114230119. PMID: 35286206; PMCID: PMC8944571; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2114230119;

Leblanc H, Ramirez S. Linking Social Cognition to Learning and Memory. J Neurosci. 2020 11 11; 40(46):8782-8798. PMID: 33177112; PMCID: PMC7659449; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1280-20.2020;

Doucette E, Merfeld E, Leblanc H, Monasterio A, Cincotta C, Grella SL, Logan J, Ramirez S. Social behavior in mice following chronic optogenetic stimulation of hippocampal engrams. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2020 12; 176:107321. PMID: 33164892; PMCID: PMC7708439; DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107321;

Cincotta C, Murawski NJ, Grella SL, McKissick O, Doucette E, Ramirez S. Chronic activation of fear engrams induces extinction-like behavior in ethanol-exposed mice. Hippocampus. 2021 01; 31(1):3-10. PMID: 32946184; PMCID: PMC8383096; DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23263;

Grella SL, Fortin AH, McKissick O, Leblanc H, Ramirez S. Odor modulates the temporal dynamics of fear memory consolidation. Learn Mem. 2020 04; 27(4):150-163. PMID: 32179657; PMCID: PMC7079569; DOI: 10.1101/lm.050690.119;

Chen BK, Murawski NJ, Cincotta C, McKissick O, Finkelstein A, Hamidi AB, Merfeld E, Doucette E, Grella SL, Shpokayte M, Zaki Y, Fortin A, Ramirez S. Artificially Enhancing and Suppressing Hippocampus-Mediated Memories. Curr Biol. 2019 06 03; 29(11):1885-1894.e4. PMID: 31130452; PMCID: PMC6548647; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.04.065;

Hamidi AB, Ramirez S. Memory: The Majestic Case of an Amnestic Trace. Curr Biol. 2018 07 23; 28(14):R784-R786. PMID: 30040937

Ramirez S. Crystallizing a memory. Science. 2018 06 15; 360(6394):1182-1183. PMID: 29903960

Denny CA, Lebois E, Ramirez S. From Engrams to Pathologies of the Brain. Front Neural Circuits. 2017; 11:23. PMID: 28439228; PMCID: PMC5383718; DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2017.00023;

Tonegawa S, Liu X, Ramirez S, Redondo R. Memory Engram Cells Have Come of Age. Neuron. 2015 Sep 02; 87(5):918-31. PMID: 26335640

Ramirez S, Liu X, MacDonald CJ, Moffa A, Zhou J, Redondo RL, Tonegawa S. Activating positive memory engrams suppresses depression-like behaviour. Nature. 2015 Jun 18; 522(7556):335-9. PMID: 26085274; PMCID: PMC5583720; DOI: 10.1038/nature14514;

Liu X, Ramirez S, Redondo RL, Tonegawa S. Identification and Manipulation of Memory Engram Cells. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 2014; 79:59-65. PMID: 25637263; DOI: 10.1101/sqb.2014.79.024901;

Redondo RL, Kim J, Arons AL, Ramirez S, Liu X, Tonegawa S. Bidirectional switch of the valence associated with a hippocampal contextual memory engram. Nature. 2014 Sep 18; 513(7518):426-30. PMID: 25162525; PMCID: PMC4169316; DOI: 10.1038/nature13725;

Ramirez S, Tonegawa S, Liu X. Identification and optogenetic manipulation of memory engrams in the hippocampus. Front Behav Neurosci. 2013; 7:226. PMID: 24478647; PMCID: PMC3894458; DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2013.00226;

Liu X, Ramirez S, Tonegawa S. Inception of a false memory by optogenetic manipulation of a hippocampal memory engram. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2014 Jan 05; 369(1633):20130142. PMID: 24298144; PMCID: PMC3843874; DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0142;

Ramirez S, Liu X, Lin PA, Suh J, Pignatelli M, Redondo RL, Ryan TJ, Tonegawa S. Creating a false memory in the hippocampus. Science. 2013 Jul 26; 341(6144):387-91. PMID: 23888038; DOI: 10.1126/science.1239073;

Liu X, Ramirez S, Pang PT, Puryear CB, Govindarajan A, Deisseroth K, Tonegawa S. Optogenetic stimulation of a hippocampal engram activates fear memory recall. Nature. 2012 Mar 22; 484(7394):381-5. PMID: 22441246; PMCID: PMC3331914; DOI: 10.1038/nature11028;

Ghosh JG, Fabian, D, Mallat A, Ramirez S, Burton M, Casey N, Mocofanesu A, Goldstein LE. The molecular chaperone human Aß crystallin modulates amyloid-ß neurotoxicity. Alzheimer’s and Dementia. 2009; 5(4):304.
Ramirez S. Supporting the Next Generation of Neuroscientists. Neuron. 92:559-560.
Tonegawa S, Liu X, Ramirez S, Redondo RL. Memory Engram Cells Have Come of Age. Neuron. 87:918-931.

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 35 publications over 12 distinct years, with a maximum of 7 publications in 2024

Bar chart showing 35 publications over 12 distinct years, with a maximum of 7 publications in 2024

Year	Publications
2009	1
2012	1
2013	2
2014	2
2015	3
2017	1
2018	2
2019	1
2020	4
2022	5
2023	6
2024	7

Media Mentions

Sheena Josselyn and memories lost, found and created

The Transmitter 1/20/2024

Pew Scholar Investigates How Good and Bad Memories Impact Brain Health

Pew 12/13/2023

Can You Rewrite Bad Memories as Good Ones? Scientists Believe This Brave New World Is Near

First for Women 1/28/2023

Boston University Study Sheds New Light on Fear Memories and Behavior

BNN 1/2/2023

Good and bad memories are stored in different neurons, study finds

Freethink 11/19/2022

Memory: a revolutionary treatment for mental health disorders and neurodegeneration?

News Medical 11/2/2022

Steve Ramirez Reshapes Memories in the Brains of Mice

The Scientist 11/1/2022

Unlocking the Power of Our Emotional Memory To Cure Mental Health Disorders Like Depression and PTSD

SciTech Daily 10/28/2022

Good and bad memories have their own real estate in the brain, raising the possibility of memory manipulation

Big Think 10/26/2022

Can we rewrite fearful memories to treat anxiety?

Medical News Today 10/10/2022

Can We "Turn Down the Volume" on Negative Memories?

Technology Networks 10/4/2022

Rewriting negative memories by activating positive ones

Earth.com 10/4/2022

Research team shines light on how the brain stores positive and negative memories

Medical Xpress 10/3/2022

Unlocking the power of our emotional memory

Science Daily 10/3/2022

BU neuroscientists hope to uncover new ways to treat memory-related disorders

News Medical 10/3/2022

Sniffing Out the Science of Smelling

Smithsonian Magazine 9/21/2022

Using optogenetics, scientists pinpoint the location and timing of memory formation in mice

STAT 11/11/2021

The People’s Picks for Best Posts

National Institutes of Health 1/5/2021

Brain Cell DNA Refolds Itself to Aid Memory Recall

Quanta Magazine 11/2/2020

Study Suggests Scents Alter How Memories Are Processed In The Brain

ABC 14 News 3/20/2020

Smell May Shape How Brains Process Memories

Futurity 3/18/2020

Study suggests power of scents can alter how memories are processed in brain

Business Standard 3/18/2020

Study: Scents Alter How Memories Are Processed in the Brain

Lab Manager 3/18/2020

Linking scents to memories

Cosmos Magazine 3/18/2020

Scents alter how memories are processed in the brain, new study suggests

Fox News 3/18/2020

The Scents That Spark Our Memories

Technology Networks 3/17/2020

New research reveals that scents alter how memories are processed in the brain

Science Codex 3/17/2020

What a Memory Looks Like

NIH Director’s Blog 11/21/2019

The pill that ‘deletes painful memories’: Memory-altering drug could dull painful experiences after trial of 60 heartbroken volunteers helps them ‘turn the page’ and overcome ‘obsessions’

Daily Mail 11/1/2019

If you could erase the worst memory of your life, would you? Scientists working on a pill for that

National Post 10/31/2019

How To Manipulate Memories

NEO.LIFE 10/17/2019

Can We Manipulate Memory To Fight Anxiety?

Futurity 9/18/2019

Will It Ever Be Possible to Understand the Human Brain?

OneZero 8/21/2019

New Research Shows a Way of Manipulating Memories in the Brain

The Science Times 6/5/2019

Can we turn down the emotion on traumatic memories?

Futurity 5/29/2019

Study: Stimulating different parts of the brain can dial up or down a specific memory’s emotional oomph, study shows — (Details)

Tunisiesoir News 5/29/2019

The incredible science exploring how to edit our memories

New Atlas 5/29/2019

Study reveals possibility to enhance or suppress memories

News Medical 5/29/2019

Stimulating Parts Of The Brain May Enhance Or Suppress Memories

Tech Times 5/29/2019

Proof It’s Possible to Enhance or Suppress Memories: Mice Study

Technology Networks 5/29/2019

Manipulating memories could become a reality one day: study (BU research featured)

ANI News 5/29/2019

WIll you be able to manipulate your memory? New study gives hope of breakthrough

Devdiscourse 5/29/2019

Researchers figure out way to edit, enhance, suppress memories

Business Recorder 5/29/2019

Can We Turn Down The Emotion On Traumatic Memories?

ReliaWire 5/29/2019

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Scientists Discover How to Enhance and Suppress Memories with Uncanny Accuracy

Outer Places 5/28/2019

Scientists Find a Volume Knob for Emotional Memories

WIRED 5/28/2019

Proof it's possible to enhance or suppress memories

MedicalXpress 5/28/2019

Traumatic memories pit two neuron groups against each other

Popular Science 4/1/2019

This neuroscientist makes memories—and suppresses them

National Geographic Magazine 1/15/2019

2018 McKnight Memory and Cognitive Disorders Award

2018 UC Irving Learning and Memory symposium: NIH Travel Award

2017 NIH: Early Independence Award

2017 Brain and Behavioral Research Foundation: NARSAD Young Investigator Award

2016 Gordon Research Conference: Travel Award

2016 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology: Travel Award

2015 Science News: Top 10 Bright Young Minds

2015 Forbes: 30 Innovators Under the Age of 30

2015 National Geographic: Breakthrough Explorer

2015 MIT: Office of the Dean Graduate Education Diversity Fellowship

2014 Science Magazine: Top 10 Breakthroughs of the Year

2014 Smithsonian Magazine: American Ingenuity Award in the area of the Natural Sciences

2014 TEDx: Speaker

2014 Pacific Standard Magazine: W orld’s Top 30 Thinkers Under the Age of 30

2013 La Recherche: Top 10 discoveries of 2013

2013 Technology Review: W orld’s Top 35 Innovators Under the Age of 35

2013 MIT: W alle Nauta Award for Continued Dedication to Teaching

2012 MIT: Angus MacDonald Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching

2012 MIT: Best Abstract

Contact for Mentoring:

617.353.2580

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