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.
Department
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
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.
Nanoparticle-delivered RNA reduces neuroinflammation in lab tests
MIT researchers find that in mice and human cell cultures, lipid nanoparticles can deliver a potential therapy for inflammation in the brain, a prominent symptom in Alzheimer’s.
Deep neural networks show promise as models of human hearing
Study shows computational models trained to perform auditory tasks display an internal organization similar to that of the human auditory cortex.
How a mutation in microglia elevates Alzheimer’s risk
A new study finds that microglia with mutant TREM2 protein reduce brain circuit connections, promote inflammation, and contribute to Alzheimer’s pathology in other ways.
Elly Nedivi receives 2023 Kreig Cortical Kudos Discoverer Award
The neuroscientist is recognized for her ongoing work to understand molecular and cellular mechanisms that enable the brain to adapt to experience.
A new way to see the activity inside a living cell
Using fluorescent labels that switch on and off, MIT engineers can study how molecules in a cell interact to control the cell’s behavior.
Search algorithm reveals nearly 200 new kinds of CRISPR systems
By analyzing bacterial data, researchers have discovered thousands of rare new CRISPR systems that have a range of functions and could enable gene editing, diagnostics, and more.