Topic
Behavior
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Study finds hub linking movement and motivation in the brain
Detailed observations in the lateral septum indicate region processes movement and reward information to help direct behavior.
September 19, 2019 -
Perception of musical pitch varies across cultures
How people interpret musical notes depends on the types of music they have listened to, researchers find.
September 19, 2019 -
Detecting patients’ pain levels via their brain signals
System could help with diagnosing and treating noncommunicative patients.
September 12, 2019 -
Two studies reveal benefits of mindfulness for middle school students
Focusing awareness on the present moment can enhance academic performance and lower stress levels.
August 26, 2019 -
New method classifies brain cells based on electrical signals
Making electrophysiology more informative, team shows how to distinguish four classes of cells by spike waveform.
August 22, 2019 -
Study measures how fast humans react to road hazards
In “semiautonomous” cars, older drivers may need more time to take the wheel when responding to the unexpected.
August 7, 2019 -
Automating artificial intelligence for medical decision-making
Model replaces the laborious process of annotating massive patient datasets by hand.
August 5, 2019 -
Model predicts cognitive decline due to Alzheimer’s, up to two years out
Researchers hope the system can zero in on the right patients to enroll in clinical trials, to speed discovery of drug treatments.
August 1, 2019 -
Speeding up drug discovery for brain diseases
Whitehead Institute team finds drugs that activate a key brain gene; initial tests in cells and mice show promise for rare, untreatable neurodevelopmental disorder.
July 31, 2019 -
Among India’s working poor, sobriety may boost savings
Economist’s study of rickshaw drivers shows effects of alcohol consumption on financial decision-making.
June 21, 2019 -
How we make complex decisions
Neuroscientists identify a brain circuit that helps break decisions down into smaller pieces.
May 16, 2019 -
Wireless movement-tracking system could collect health and behavioral data
In some cases, radio frequency signals may be more useful for caregivers than cameras or other data-collection methods.
May 8, 2019 -
Alumnus gives MIT $4.5 million to establish the Broderick Fund for Phytocannabinoid Research
Gifts to MIT and Harvard Medical School totaling $9 million will fund independent research on cannabinoid’s influence on brain health and behavior.
April 30, 2019 -
Neuroscientists reverse some behavioral symptoms of Williams Syndrome
Mouse study yields insights into the rare condition, may shed light on other neurological disorders.
April 22, 2019 -
Gut-brain connection signals worms to alter behavior while eating
Study may lead to a better understanding of the digestive tract’s nervous system.
December 20, 2018 -
Dopamine primes the brain for enhanced vigilance
Neuroscientists discover a circuit that helps redirect attention to focus on potential threats.
November 7, 2018 -
Meeting of the Minds
Mahdi Ramadan and Alexi Choueiri’s common experiences as Lebanese evacuees led both to study the human brain at MIT.
October 26, 2018 -
Study reveals how the brain overcomes its own limitations
Strategies to compensate for uncertainty help the brain succeed at difficult mental computations.
October 24, 2018 -
A step toward personalized, automated smart homes
System that automatically identifies people moving around indoors could enable self-adjusting homes.
October 17, 2018 -
Reducing false positives in credit card fraud detection
Model extracts granular behavioral patterns from transaction data to more accurately flag suspicious activity.
September 20, 2018