Benjamin A. Rein Ph.D.
Benjamin A. Rein
Ph.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
Specialty/Research Focus
Autism; Behavioral Neuroscience; Electrophysiology; Epigenetics; Medical Education Research; Neurobiology; Neuropharmacology; Neuropsychiatric Disorders; Neuroscience
Professional Summary:
Ben Rein, PhD is a neuroscientist, author, and science communicator. His research broadly focuses on social behavior, with particular emphasis on the neurobiology of empathy, the genetic basis of autism spectrum disorder, behavioral approaches for modeling social behaviors in mice, social media, and public messaging. He completed his Ph.D. at SUNY Buffalo in the lab of Dr. Zhen Yan before joining Dr. Robert Malenka’s lab at Stanford University as a postdoctoral fellow. Working with Dr. Malenka, he led a project examining how MDMA enhances empathy. Ben has received research honors from the National Institutes of Health, the Society for Neuroscience, Sigma Xi, and elsewhere.
Outside of the lab, Ben creates educational neuroscience videos for an audience of over 1 million social media followers. He works to make science accessible to the public by summarizing research papers, teaching neuroscience fundamentals, and debunking viral videos containing misinformation. His videos have been viewed over 60 million times and been featured on Good Morning America, ABC News, and other major media outlets. He has joined over 40 podcasts as a guest including StarTalk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Ben has also been interviewed by Popular Mechanics and served as an expert consultant for Entertainment Tonight. His science communication has been recognized with awards from the National Academies, the Society for Neuroscience, Stanford University, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is also the author of Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection.
Ben is currently the Chief Science Officer of the Mind Science Foundation. He has served as a scientific advisor or consultant for more than 35 companies and foundations and is the Founder and President of the Aspiring Scientists Coalition, an organization providing free career guidance for students in over 75 countries. Ben is a contributing editor at OpenMind Magazine and has led science journalism projects supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. He has also developed and led the graduate-level course, "How to Communicate Science" alongside Dr. David Eagleman at Stanford University.
Education and Training:
- PhD, Neuroscience, SUNY Buffalo (2021)
- BS, Psychology, West Virginia University, Summa Cum Laude (2016)
Employment:
- Adjunct Lecturer, Psychiatry, Stanford University
- Chief Science Officer, Mind Science Foundation
Awards and Honors:
- Next Generation Award (2023)
- Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communication (2023)
- Truth Decay Grant (2023)
- Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science (Finalist) (2022)
- LRP Award (2022)
- Deans Award for Outstanding Dissertation Research (2021)
- Beverly P. Bishop and Charles W. Bishop Neuroscience Doctoral Thesis Award (2021)
- 3MT Competition (International Finalist / Winner, SUNY Buffalo) (2020)
- Robert F. Munn Library Scholars Award for the Outstanding Undergraduate Thesis (2016)
- Quin Curtis Award for the Outstanding Undergraduate Student (2016)
Journal Articles:
- St Laurent R, Kusche KM, Rein B, Raymond KB, Kreitzer AC, Malenka RC. (2025) Intercalated Amygdala Dysfunction Drives Avoidance Extinction Deficits in the Sapap3 Mouse Model of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Biological psychiatry (Apr), 97(7): 707-720.
- Tavares M, Rein B. (2024) The virtual disengagement hypothesis: A neurophysiological framework for reduced empathy on social media. Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience (Dec), 24(6): 965-971.
- Rein B, Raymond K, Boustani C, Tuy S, Zhang J, St Laurent R, Pomrenze MB, Boroon P, Heifets B, Smith M, Malenka RC. (2024) MDMA enhances empathy-like behaviors in mice via 5-HT release in the nucleus accumbens. Science advances (Apr), 10(17): eadl6554.
- Rein B. (2023) Making Science Education More Accessible: A Case Study of TikTok's Utility as a Science Communication Tool. Neuroscience (Oct), 530: 192-200.
- Rein B, Jones E, Tuy S, Boustani C, Johnson JA, Malenka RC, Smith ML. (2022) Protocols for the social transfer of pain and analgesia in mice. STAR protocols (Dec), 3(4): 101756.
- Wang W, Tan T, Cao Q, Zhang F, Rein B, Duan WM, Yan Z. (2022) Histone Deacetylase Inhibition Restores Behavioral and Synaptic Function in a Mouse Model of 16p11.2 Deletion. The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology (Oct), 25(10): 877-889.
- Conrow-Graham M, Williams JB, Martin J, Zhong P, Cao Q, Rein B, Yan Z. (2022) A convergent mechanism of high risk factors ADNP and POGZ in neurodevelopmental disorders. Brain : a journal of neurology (Sep), 145(9): 3250-3263.
- Rein B. (2022) Harnessing social media to challenge scientific misinformation. Cell (Aug), 185(17): 3059-3065.
- Rapanelli M, Williams JB, Ma K, Yang F, Zhong P, Patel R, Kumar M, Qin L, Rein B, Wang ZJ, Kassim B, Javidfar B, Couto L, Akbarian S, Yan Z. (2022) Targeting histone demethylase LSD1 for treatment of deficits in autism mouse models. Molecular psychiatry (Aug), 27(8): 3355-3366.
- Belin S, Maki BA, Catlin J, Rein BA, Popescu GK. (2022) Membrane Stretch Gates NMDA Receptors. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (Jul), 42(29): 5672-5680.
- Rein B, Conrow-Graham M, Frazier A, Cao Q, Yan Z. (2022) Inhibition of histone deacetylase 5 ameliorates abnormalities in 16p11.2 duplication mouse model. Neuropharmacology (Feb), 204: 108893.
- Yan Z, Rein B. (2022) Mechanisms of synaptic transmission dysregulation in the prefrontal cortex: pathophysiological implications. Molecular psychiatry (Jan), 27(1): 445-465.
- Catlin JP, Marziali LN, Rein B, Yan Z, Feltri ML, Schaner Tooley CE. (2021) Age-related neurodegeneration and cognitive impairments of NRMT1 knockout mice are preceded by misregulation of RB and abnormal neural stem cell development. Cell death & disease (Oct), 12(11): 1014.
- Wang ZJ, Rein B, Zhong P, Williams J, Cao Q, Yang F, Zhang F, Ma K, Yan Z. (2021) Autism risk gene KMT5B deficiency in prefrontal cortex induces synaptic dysfunction and social deficits via alterations of DNA repair and gene transcription. Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (Aug), 46(9): 1617-1626.
- Rein B, Tan T, Yang F, Wang W, Williams J, Zhang F, Mills A, Yan Z. (2021) Reversal of synaptic and behavioral deficits in a 16p11.2 duplication mouse model via restoration of the GABA synapse regulator Npas4. Molecular psychiatry (Jun), 26(6): 1967-1979.
- Zhang F, Rein B, Zhong P, Shwani T, Conrow-Graham M, Wang ZJ, Yan Z. (2021) Synergistic inhibition of histone modifiers produces therapeutic effects in adult Shank3-deficient mice. Translational psychiatry (Feb), 11(1): 99.
- Rein B, Yan Z. (2020) 16p11.2 Copy Number Variations and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Trends in neurosciences (Nov), 43(11): 886-901.
- Rein B, Ma K, Yan Z. (2020) A standardized social preference protocol for measuring social deficits in mouse models of autism. Nature protocols (Oct), 15(10): 3464-3477.
- Rein B, Yan Z, Wang ZJ. (2020) Diminished social interaction incentive contributes to social deficits in mouse models of autism spectrum disorder. Genes, brain, and behavior (Jan), 19(1): e12610.
- Rein BA, McNeil DW, Hayes AR, Hawkins TA, Ng HM, Yura CA. (2018) Evaluation of an avatar-based training program to promote suicide prevention awareness in a college setting. Journal of American college health : J of ACH (Jul), 66(5): 401-411.
- Wang W, Rein B, Zhang F, Tan T, Zhong P, Qin L, Yan Z. (2018) Chemogenetic Activation of Prefrontal Cortex Rescues Synaptic and Behavioral Deficits in a Mouse Model of 16p11.2 Deletion Syndrome. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience (Jun), 38(26): 5939-5948.