How the brain responds to surprising events
Unexpected outcomes trigger release of noradrenaline, which helps the brain focus its attention and learn from the event.
Department
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Early sound exposure in the womb shapes the auditory system
Modeling study suggests that the muffled environment in utero primes the brain’s ability to interpret some types of sound.
New research center focused on brain-body relationship established at MIT
K. Lisa Yang Brain-Body Center to investigate the brain’s complex relationship with other body systems.
Emery Brown wins a share of 2022 Gruber Neuroscience Prize
Brown and three other scientists recognized for advancing statistical, theoretical analyses of neuroscience data.
A voice for change — in Spanish
Postbac Jessica Chomik-Morales hopes to inspire the next generation of Spanish-speaking scientists with her podcast, “Mi Ultima Neurona.”
Is it neuroscience? Chemistry? Art? Wulff Lecture shows versatility, diversity in materials science
Professor Polina Anikeeva’s innovation in the treatment of neurological disorders highlights the interdisciplinary nature of her field.
Lindsay Case and Guangyu Robert Yang named 2022 Searle Scholars
MIT cell biologist and computational neuroscientist recognized for their innovative research contributions.
A brain circuit in the thalamus helps us hold information in mind
This circuit, which weakens with age, could offer a target to help prevent age-related decline in spatial memory.
Circuit that focuses attention brings in wide array of inputs
With a comprehensive map of the wiring, researchers can now discern what information flows into the circuit to enable a key brain function.
Approaching human cognition from many angles
Senior Keith Murray combines his interests in neuroscience, computation, and philosophy to better understand human behavior.
What words can convey
Natural language processing models capture rich knowledge of words’ meanings through statistics.
A single memory is stored across many connected brain regions
Innovative brain-wide mapping study shows that an “engram,” the ensemble of neurons encoding a memory, is widely distributed and includes regions not previously realized.
A one-up on motion capture
A new neural network approach captures the characteristics of a physical system’s dynamic motion from video, regardless of rendering configuration or image differences.
Seven from MIT elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences for 2022
Prestigious honor society announces more than 250 new members.
Aging Brain Initiative awards fund five new ideas to study, fight neurodegeneration
Competitive seed grants launch yearlong investigations of novel hypotheses about potential causes, biomarkers, treatments of Alzheimer’s and ALS.