For people who speak many languages, there’s something special about their native tongue
An MIT study finds the brains of polyglots expend comparatively little effort when processing their native language.
Department
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Researchers enhance peripheral vision in AI models
By enabling models to see the world more like humans do, the work could help improve driver safety and shed light on human behavior.
How sensory gamma rhythm stimulation clears amyloid in Alzheimer’s mice
Study finds stimulating a key brain rhythm with light and sound increases peptide release from interneurons, driving clearance of an Alzheimer’s protein.
How the brain coordinates speaking and breathing
MIT neuroscientists have discovered a circuit that controls vocalization and makes sure that breathing is prioritized over speaking.
A noninvasive treatment for “chemo brain”
Stimulating gamma brain waves may protect cancer patients from memory impairment and other cognitive effects of chemotherapy.
School of Science announces 2024 Infinite Expansion Awards
Nine postdocs and research scientists honored for contributions to the Institute.
Exposure to different kinds of music influences how the brain interprets rhythm
A study of people in 15 countries reveals that while everyone favors rhythms with simple integer ratios, biases can vary quite a bit across societies.
Imaging method reveals new cells and structures in human brain tissue
A new microscopy technique that enables high-resolution imaging could one day help doctors diagnose and treat brain tumors.
Simons Center’s collaborative approach propels autism research, at MIT and beyond
Team-based targeted projects, multi-mentor fellowships ensure that scientists studying social cognition, behavior, and autism integrate multiple perspectives and approaches to pressing questions.
Creating new skills and new connections with MIT’s Quantitative Methods Workshop
More than 80 students and faculty from a dozen collaborating institutions became immersed at the intersection of computation and life sciences and forged new ties to MIT and each other.
Professor Emeritus Peter Schiller, a pioneer researcher of the visual system, dies at 92
His wide-ranging and influential career included fundamental discoveries about how visual scenes and stimuli are processed from the retina through the cortical visual system.
How the brain responds to reward is linked to socioeconomic background
An MIT study finds the brains of children who grow up in less affluent households are less responsive to rewarding experiences.
Evidence that gamma rhythm stimulation can treat neurological disorders is emerging
Researchers survey a broadening landscape of studies showing what’s known, and what remains to be found, about the therapeutic potential of noninvasive sensory, electrical, or magnetic stimulation of gamma brain rhythms.
Study reveals a universal pattern of brain wave frequencies
Across mammalian species, brain waves are slower in deep cortical layers, while superficial layers generate faster rhythms.
Three honored with 2023 School of Science teaching prizes
Roger Levy, Pulin Li, and David McGee were nominated by peers and students for their exceptional instruction.