The science of consciousness
Through the MIT Consciousness Club, professors Matthias Michel and Earl Miller are exploring how neurological activity gives rise to human experience.
Department
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Study suggests 40Hz sensory stimulation may benefit some Alzheimer’s patients for years
Five volunteers received 40Hz stimulation for around two years after an early-stage clinical study. Those with late-onset Alzheimer’s performed better on assessments than Alzheimer’s patients outside the trial.
MIT researchers invent new human brain model to enable disease research, drug discovery
Cultured from induced pluripotent stem cells, “miBrains” integrate all major brain cell types and model brain structures, cellular interactions, activity, and pathological features.
Study: Identifying kids who need help learning to read isn’t as easy as A, B, C
While most states mandate screenings to guide early interventions for children struggling with reading, many teachers feel underprepared to administer and interpret them.
Neural activity helps circuit connections mature into optimal signal transmitters
Scientists identified how circuit connections in fruit flies tune to the right size and degree of signal transmission capability. Understanding this could lead to a way to tweak abnormal signal transmission in certain disorders.
Blending neuroscience, AI, and music to create mental health innovations
Media Lab PhD student Kimaya Lecamwasam researches how music can shape well-being.
New MIT initiative seeks to transform rare brain disorders research
The Rare Brain Disorders Nexus aims to accelerate the development of novel therapies for a spectrum of uncommon brain diseases.
Immune-informed brain aging research offers new treatment possibilities, speakers say
Speakers at MIT’s Aging Brain Initiative symposium described how immune system factors during aging contribute to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other conditions. The field is leveraging that knowledge to develop new therapies.
Study sheds light on musicians’ enhanced attention
Brain imaging suggests people with musical training may be better than others at filtering out distracting sounds.
MIT cognitive scientists reveal why some sentences stand out from others
Sentences that are highly dissimilar from anything we’ve seen before are more likely to be remembered accurately.
Study finds key role for non-neural brain cells in processing vision
MIT researchers employed a novel application of tools and analysis to show that astrocytes ensure neural information processing by maintaining ambient levels of the neurotransmitter chemical GABA.
How the brain splits up vision without you even noticing
As an object moves across your field of view, the brain seamlessly hands off visual processing from one hemisphere to the other like cell phone towers or relay racers do, a new MIT study shows.
Study explains how a rare gene variant contributes to Alzheimer’s disease
Lipid metabolism and cell membrane function can be disrupted in the neurons of people who carry rare variants of ABCA7.
Alzheimer’s erodes brain cells’ control of gene expression, undermining function, cognition
Study of 3.5 million cells from more than 100 human brains finds Alzheimer’s progression — and resilience to disease — depends on preserving epigenomic stability.
A comprehensive cellular-resolution map of brain activity
An international collaboration of neuroscientists, including MIT Professor Ila Fiete, developed a brain-wide map of decision-making at cellular resolution in mice.