McGovern Institute

A new MIT transmitter that measures dopamine overcomes limitations of earlier transmitters, providing accurate readings for longer periods of time and covering more of the brain.

Precise technique tracks dopamine in the brain

New sensor could reveal the neurotransmitter’s role in learning and habit formation.

March 3, 2017

Charles Jennings, director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research Neurotechnology program.

3Q: US patent office’s ruling on CRISPR

Charles Jennings of MIT’s McGovern Institute discusses the intellectual property dispute over the gene-editing technique.

February 22, 2017

Harvard University neurobiologist Catherine Dulac will receive the 2017 Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience, awarded by the McGovern Institute at MIT.

McGovern Institute awards 2017 Scolnick Prize to Catherine Dulac

Neurobiologist honored for her work on how pheromones control brain function and behavior.

February 13, 2017

Hock Tan '75 SM '75 (left) and Lisa Yang have made a commitment of $20 million to establish the Hock E. Tan and K. Lisa Yang Center for Autism Research at MIT's McGovern Institute.

New Center for Autism Research established at MIT’s McGovern Institute

A $20 million gift from Lisa Yang and Hock Tan ’75 SM ’75 will catalyze multidisciplinary autism research.

February 9, 2017

Feng Zhang named James and Patricia Poitras Professor in Neuroscience

CRISPR pioneer named to inaugural chair created by Patricia and James Poitras '63, founders of MIT’s Poitras Center for Affective Disorders Research.

January 13, 2017

Neuroscientists at MIT have adapted their MRI scanner to make it easier to scan infants’ brains as the babies watch movies featuring different types of visual input.

A glimpse into the workings of the baby brain

MRI scans reveal surprising similarities in activity patterns of infant and adult visual cortex.

January 10, 2017

Researchers have discovered that in people with dyslexia the brain has a diminished ability to acclimate to a repeated input — a trait known as neural adaptation.

Distinctive brain pattern may underlie dyslexia

Study suggests reduced plasticity could account for reading difficulties.

December 21, 2016

Feng Zhang of MIT and the Broad Institute was named a runner-up for TIME's 2016 Person of the Year for his work on CRISPR gene editing. Zhang shared the honor with Emmanuelle Charpentier at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin; Jennifer Doudna at the University of California at Berkeley; Carl June at the University of Pennsylvania; and Kathy Niakan at the Francis Crick Institute in London.

Feng Zhang named a runner-up for TIME’s 2016 Person of the Year

MIT and Broad Institute scientist shares recognition with four other scientists for developing CRISPR gene-editing systems.

December 7, 2016

“…[I]f humans behave similarly to mice in response to this treatment, I would say the potential is just enormous, because it’s so noninvasive, and it’s so accessible,” says Li-Huei Tsai, the Picower Professor of Neuroscience, when describing a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Unique visual stimulation may be new treatment for Alzheimer’s

Noninvasive technique reduces beta amyloid plaques in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease.

December 7, 2016

MIT researchers have designed protein-based sensors that can dilate blood vessels in the brain. This dilation can be imaged with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as seen on the left side of this scan.

A radiation-free approach to imaging molecules in the brain

New probe induces blood flow changes that can be seen by MRI.

December 2, 2016

Tomaso Poggio, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at MIT and director of the Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines, has long thought that the brain must produce “invariant” representations of faces and other objects, meaning representations that are indifferent to objects’ orientation in space, their distance from the viewer, or their location in the visual field.

How the brain recognizes faces

Machine-learning system spontaneously reproduces aspects of human neurology.

December 1, 2016

MIT researchers have developed a way to isolate genetic circuits within individual synthetic “cells,” preventing the circuits from disrupting each other.

Researchers create synthetic cells to isolate genetic circuits

Encapsulating molecular components in artificial membranes offers more flexibility in designing circuits.

November 14, 2016

"SCIENTIA," by Ursula von Rydingsvard, is a gift from McGovern Institute co-founder Lore Harp McGovern.

Monumental new sculpture commissioned for MIT's McGovern Institute

"SCIENTIA" is the newest addition to MIT's Public Art Collection.

October 26, 2016

Scientists have identified two key groups of neurons within the hypothalamus that help regulate appetite.

A new player in appetite control

Brain cells that provide structural support also influence feeding behavior, study shows.

October 18, 2016

MIT scientists have identified a way to enhance the long-term benefit of exposure therapy in rats, offering a way to improve the therapy in people suffering from phobias and more complicated conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Pinpointing a brain circuit that can keep fears at bay

Study suggests path to prolonging treatment effectiveness for phobias or post-traumatic stress disorder.

September 26, 2016

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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