Summer research offers a springboard to advanced studies
Three graduate students forged a path to the same Picower Institute lab through participating in the MIT Summer Research Program in Biology and Neuroscience.
Department
Brain and Cognitive Sciences
AI models are powerful, but are they biologically plausible?
A new study bridging neuroscience and machine learning offers insights into the potential role of astrocytes in the human brain.
Fourteen MIT School of Science professors receive tenure for 2022 and 2023
Faculty members were recently granted tenure in the departments of Biology, Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Chemistry, EAPS, and Physics.
A cool path to disease deceleration
MIT PhD student Kathrin Kajderowicz is studying how hibernation-like states could pave the way for new hypothermic therapies.
Brain networks encoding memory come together via electric fields, study finds
Electric fields shared among neurons via “ephaptic coupling” provide the coordination necessary to assemble the engrams that represent remembered information.
Study finds tracking brain waves could reduce post-op complications
Distinctive EEG patterns indicate when a patient’s state of unconsciousness under general anesthesia is more profound than necessary.
Thirty-four community members receive 2023 MIT Excellence Awards, Collier Medal, and Staff Award for Distinction in Service
Prestigious awards recognize community support of MIT’s goals, values, and mission.
Magnetic robots walk, crawl, and swim
New soft-bodied robots that can be controlled by a simple magnetic field are well suited to work in confined spaces.
When computer vision works more like a brain, it sees more like people do
Training artificial neural networks with data from real brains can make computer vision more robust.
Researchers uncover a new CRISPR-like system in animals that can edit the human genome
The first RNA-guided DNA-cutting enzyme found in eukaryotes, Fanzor could one day be harnessed to edit DNA more precisely than CRISPR/Cas systems.
Uncovering the invisible pressures shaping language
Sihan Chen, a PhD student in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, studies the social and environmental factors that shape the development of languages.
Without a key extracellular protein, neuronal axons break and synaptic connections fall apart
Scientists find a protein common to flies and people is essential for supporting the structure of axons that neurons project to make circuit connections.
Unraveling connections between the brain and gut
MIT engineers’ new technology can probe the neural circuits that influence hunger, mood, and a variety of diseases.
Atlas of human brain blood vessels highlights changes in Alzheimer’s disease
MIT researchers characterize gene expression patterns for 22,500 brain vascular cells across 428 donors, revealing insights for Alzheimer’s onset and potential treatments.
Envisioning the future of computing
MIT students share ideas, aspirations, and vision for how advances in computing stand to transform society in a competition hosted by the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing.