Martin Picard (scientist)
Comment: Lots of opinion based claims in this not supported with secondary sources, e.g., "Picard is also known for his contributions to research on the impacts of stress on hair graying as a model of aging." Sulfurboy (talk) 03:25, 4 August 2026 (UTC)
| Martin Picard | |
|---|---|
| Born | Québec, Canada |
| 🏳️ Citizenship | Canadian, American |
| 🏫 Education | McGill University (BSc)
McGill University (PhD) University of Pennsylvania (Postdoc) |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Mitochondrial psychobiology |
| 🏅 Awards | Baszucki Prize in Science (2024)
Herbert Weiner Early Career Award (2023) Early Career Impact Award from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (2021) Neal E. Miller Award (2019) |
| 🌐 Website | PicardLab.org |
Martin Picard is a Canadian-American mitochondrial psychobiologist. He is a Professor of Behavioral Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, with appointments in the Department of Psychiatry, Department of Neurology, and the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center.[1] Picard is also a Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative (CTNI) Scholar and Co-Director of the Columbia Science of Health (SOH) Program.[1]
He leads the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group, which integrates the science of energy, mitochondrial biology, and cellular energy metabolism with human stress physiology, aging, brain function, and mental health.[1][2][3]
Education and Early Life
Picard is a native of Montreal, Québec, Canada.[3] Picard received a B.Sc. with Honors in neuroimmunology and a Ph.D. in the mitochondrial biology of aging from McGill University.[1] He completed postdoctoral training with Douglas C. Wallace at the University of Pennsylvania in the Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, where his work examined mitochondrial genetics, epigenetics, and stress signaling.[1] During this time, he also worked with Bruce McEwen at The Rockefeller University.[1]
Career and Research
Picard has been on the faculty of Columbia University Irving Medical Center since 2015.[1] At Columbia, Picard’s laboratory studies communication between mitochondria and the rest of the organism, including how psychosocial experiences, such as stress, may influence mitochondria and how mitochondrial biology may contribute to health, disease, and aging.[1] He coined the term “mitochondrial psychobiology” in 2019.[3][4]
A recurring theme in Picard’s work is that mitochondria are not only “the powerhouses of our cells.” Instead, they operate more like information processors involved in stress responses, communication, and other biological processes.[3][5][6][7]
In 2015, he and his colleagues observed that individual mitochondria within a cell communicate with each other, forming connections and exchanging signals to align their inner membranes called cristae.[5]
Picard led research that suggests mitochondria may regulate physiological stress responses.[8][9] He and collaborators also studied circulating mitochondrial DNA as a potential biological signal linked to psychological stress. They found an association between acute psychological stress and increased mitochondrial DNA circulating in blood.[8][9]
In addition, Picard has been involved in studies on the insertion of mitochondrial DNA into the genome in the nucleus of human cells. Results from a study led by Picard and Ryan Mills (University of Michigan) showed that mitochondrial DNA insertions occur in human brain cells and may accumulate over a person’s lifetime.[10] When cells were under stress, they accumulated mitochondrial DNA insertions faster.[11]
Picard is also known for his contributions to research on the impacts of stress on hair graying as a model of aging. In 2021, Picard’s team published findings suggesting that human hair graying can sometimes be temporarily reversed and is linked to life stress.[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] They developed the Hair Pigmentation Pattern (HPP) technique, which was used to examine the associations between psychological stress, mitochondrial biology, and changes in hair pigmentation.[17]
In more recent work, Picard investigated mitochondrial variation across the human brain. In 2025, he and collaborators published their work on MitoBrainMap, the first systematic atlas of mitochondrial biology in the human brain.[20] They found differences in mitochondrial number and function across brain regions and cell types, and brain regions that evolved more recently showed evidence of a higher capacity for energy transformation.[10]
He and his team discovered that the metabolic hormones Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF15) and Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) also respond to acute psychological stress, and they are related to a person’s broader psychological and social environments.[21] Their findings support links between the biology of metabolism and psychological stress.[21]
Through their roles as Co-Directors of the Columbia Science of Health (SOH) Program, Picard and Alan Cohen are working with other researchers to generate, validate, and apply new ways to measure health as a biological state.[22]
Awards and Recognition
In 2019, Picard was selected as the recipient for the Neal Miller New Investigator Award from the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research for his research in the field.[23] He received the 2021 Early Career Impact Award from the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS) in recognition of his contributions to basic science and translational research in mitochondrial psychobiology and stress biology.[2] Picard also received the Herbert Weiner Early Career Award from the Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine in 2023 for his early-career contributions to the field of psychosomatic medicine.[24] In 2024, Picard was named the inaugural recipient of the $1.5 million Baszucki Prize in Science for his work connecting brain energetics, mitochondria, and the human experience.[25]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Martin Picard, PhD". Columbia University Department of Neurology. Columbia University. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Martin Picard". Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences (FABBS). 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Martin Picard: Exploring the Mind-Mitochondria Connection". Columbia University Irving Medical Center. 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Picard, Martin; Trumpff, Caroline; Burelle, Yan (2019-06-14). "Mitochondrial Psychobiology: Foundations and Applications". Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. 28: 142–151. doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2019.04.015. ISSN 2352-1546. PMC 7339630 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 32637466 Check|pmid=value (help). - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Zimmer, Katarina (2021-07-06). "'Social' Mitochondria, Whispering Between Cells, Influence Health". Quanta Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Bradford, Shelby (2024-09-10). "Multifaceted Mitochondria Maintain Mystique". The Scientist. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "A Psychobiologist Explains How Mitochondria Impact Your Health". ColumbiaDoctors. 2025-09-10. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Landau, Elizabeth (2020-08-10). "Mitochondria May Hold Keys to Anxiety and Mental Health". Quanta Magazine. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Kwon, Diana (2021-06-17). "Could mitochondria be the key to a healthy brain?". Knowable Magazine. doi:10.1146/knowable-061621-1.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Mitochondrial 'landscape' shifts across human brain". The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives. 2025-04-25. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Mitochondria Are Flinging Their DNA into Our Brain Cells". Columbia University Irving Medical Center. 2024-08-21. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "It's True: Stress Does Turn Hair Gray (And It's Reversible)". Columbia University Irving Medical Center. 2021-06-22. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Lius, Andrea (2025-11-14). "How Does Stress Cause Gray Hair?". The Scientist. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Going Grey? Relax. Those Silver Strands Could Disappear | Columbia Magazine". magazine.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Cohen, Arianne (2021-06-23). "Columbia University researchers say gray hair is caused by stress—and it can be reversed". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 2025-08-17. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Stress really does turn hair grey – but it can be reversed". BBC Science Focus Magazine. 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Kwon, Diana (2021-09-01). "Going Gray Isn't Always Permanent—Stress May Play a Role". Scientific American. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Hate your gray hair? It can be reversed for some people, study finds". TODAY.com. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Philpott, Michael P. (2021-06-30). "Pigmentation: Watching hair turn grey". eLife. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Atlas of Brain's Mitochondria Reveals High Cognition Areas Supplied with More Energy". Columbia University Irving Medical Center. 2025-03-25. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Stress Alters Metabolic Hormone with Consequences for Health". Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. 2025-10-13. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "The Secret Science Behind Feeling Great | Columbia Magazine". magazine.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Neal Miller New Investigator Award". Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ "Herbert Weiner Early Career Award". Society for Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Brown, Gabe (2024-03-05). "Baszucki Group Announces Martin Picard, PhD as Inaugural Recipient of $1.5 Million Baszucki Prize in Science". Baszucki Group. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
External links
- Martin Picard publications indexed by Google Scholar
- Martin Picard Faculty Profile at Columbia University
- Mitochondrial Psychobiology Lab Website
- Template:X profile
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