Making room to explore
Professor Fan Wang is recognized as “Committed to Caring” for creating a supportive environment for ambitious research and student well-being.
McGovern Institute
Symposium highlights MIT’s wide range of innovations for aging brain health
In six talks, researchers from across MIT described projects aimed at advancing the understanding of and interventions against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS.
How artificial neural networks build their own learning machinery
Machine-learning networks can learn without detailed instructions from a designer. Those that do may offer insight into how the brain reorganizes itself during learning.
Estimating suicide risk from text
A new language-processing tool could help identify the highest-risk individuals from natural language, enabling swifter interventions.
Poitras Center to fuel early careers of 50 young scientists dedicated to psychiatric disorders research
Patricia and James Poitras ’63 provide fellowships for graduate students and postdocs who will shape the future of mental health research.
Language skills stay strong in older adults, even while other cognitive abilities decline
MIT researchers find that activity in the brain’s language network is nearly identical in young and old people.
Tackling rare genetic disorders with patient-focused science
Shannon Knight, a brain and cognitive sciences PhD candidate and McGovern Institute researcher, focuses on developing a novel gene therapy.
DNA shaper steers nervous system development
A study of worms finds a protein that helps shape the structure of the genome is critical for establishing the identity of some neurons.
High-speed microscopy reveals electrical activity across the brain
The new technique could help scientists learn how the entire brain works to generate decisions and emotions.
MIT honors employees with 2026 Excellence Awards, Collier Medal, and Staff Award for Distinction in Service
The MIT community celebrated the talent, dedication, and impact of its staff.
How visual learning happens in the brain
Scientists find that learning to identify a new object subtly reshapes visual processing in the brain.
Separating logic and language
Neuroscientists find logical reasoning does not involve language-processing parts of the brain.
The brain’s internal ruler
A simple brain circuit measures objects’ distance from the body using touch signals from a rodent’s whiskers, MIT scientists find.
The brain’s language network is more extensive than previously thought
A new study reveals that parts of the brain located far from the canonical language-processing centers are also involved in language comprehension.
Would you return a favor? Scientists say it depends on the relationship
A new study shows people expect reciprocal generosity only in interactions with friends or others of equal social status.