The way sensory prediction changes under anesthesia tells us how conscious cognition works
A new study adds evidence that consciousness requires communication between sensory and cognitive regions of the brain’s cortex.
Department
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Mixing joy and resolve, event celebrates women in science and addresses persistent inequalities
The Kuggie Vallee Distinguished Lectures and Workshops presented inspiring examples of success, even as the event evoked frank discussions of the barriers that still hinder many women in science.
AI pareidolia: Can machines spot faces in inanimate objects?
New dataset of “illusory” faces reveals differences between human and algorithmic face detection, links to animal face recognition, and a formula predicting where people most often perceive faces.
Startup helps people fall asleep by aligning audio signals with brainwaves
Elemind, founded by researchers from MIT, has developed a headband that uses acoustic stimulation to move people into a sleep state.
Research quantifying “nociception” could help improve management of surgical pain
New statistical models based on physiological data from more than 100 surgeries provide objective, accurate measures of the body’s subconscious perception of pain.
Finding some stability in adaptable brains
New research suggests neurons protect and preserve certain information through a dedicated zone of stable synapses.
Harnessing the power of placebo for pain relief
MIT researchers investigate the neural circuits that underlie placebos’ ability to relieve chronic and acute pain.
Study assesses seizure risk from stimulating the thalamus
In animal models, even low stimulation currents can sometimes still cause electrographic seizures, researchers found.
Scientists find neurons that process language on different timescales
In language-processing areas of the brain, some cell populations respond to one word, while others respond to strings of words.
MIT study explains why laws are written in an incomprehensible style
The convoluted “legalese” used in legal documents conveys a special sense of authority, and even non-lawyers have learned to wield it.
Study reveals ways in which 40Hz sensory stimulation may preserve brain’s “white matter”
Gamma frequency light and sound stimulation preserves myelination in mouse models and reveals molecular mechanisms that may underlie the benefit.
New method enables fast, accurate estimates of cardiovascular state to inform blood pressure management
A mathematical method, validated with experimental data, provides a fast, reliable, and minimally invasive way of determining how to treat critical blood pressure changes during surgery or intensive care.
Three MIT professors named 2024 Vannevar Bush Fellows
Domitilla Del Vecchio and Themis Sapsis of MechE and Mehrdad Jazayeri of BCS will each receive up to $3 million for blue-sky research.
Study across multiple brain regions discerns Alzheimer’s vulnerability and resilience factors
Genomics and lab studies reveal numerous findings, including a key role for Reelin amid neuronal vulnerability, and for choline and antioxidants in sustaining cognition.
MIT affiliates named 2024 HHMI Investigators
Four faculty members and four others with MIT ties are recognized for pushing the boundaries of science and for creating highly inclusive and collaborative research environments.