Brain and cognitive sciences

At a time of rapid advances in intelligence research across many disciplines, the MIT Intelligence Quest will encourage researchers to investigate the societal implications of their work as they pursue hard problems lying beyond the current horizon of what is known.

Institute launches the MIT Intelligence Quest

New Institute-wide initiative will advance human and machine intelligence research.

February 1, 2018

MIT neuroscientists have found evidence that the brain’s ability to control what it’s thinking about relies on low-frequency brain waves known as beta rhythms.

New study reveals how brain waves control working memory

Brain rhythms act as a gate for information entering and leaving the mind.

January 26, 2018

Sometimes items can easily be grouped by their appearance, such as these apples, but sometimes the brain must use a different mode of thought to find a more abstract similarity, such as that between a drill and screwdriver.

Study: Distinct brain rhythms and regions help us reason about categories

High-frequency gamma oscillations sort similar-looking objects; lower-frequency beta oscillations kick in when connections are more abstract.

January 25, 2018

Dagdeviren (center) developed the device while working as a postdoc in the labs of Graybiel (left), Cima (right), and Langer (far left).

Ultrathin needle can deliver drugs directly to the brain

Miniaturized system could be used to treat neurological disorders that affect specific brain regions.

January 24, 2018

Various 3-D views of the basolateral amygdala show the arrangement of neurons that project to the nucleus accumbens (green), the hippocampus (blue), or the central amygdala (red).

Lifting the veil on "valence," brain study reveals roots of desire and dislike

Researchers map the amygdala's distinct but diverse and dynamic neighborhoods where feelings are assigned.

January 23, 2018

Senior Anjali Misra, who is majoring in brain and cognitive sciences and minoring in music, is originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Making preventive medicine more accessible

MIT senior Anjali Misra is drawn to health care problems that don’t have easy answers.

January 17, 2018

Josh McDermott receives NAS Troland Research Award

Cognitive scientist is recognized for groundbreaking research into how humans hear and interpret sound.

January 17, 2018

Study: Rhythmic interactions between cortical layers underlie working memory

MIT neuroscientists suggest a model for how we gain volitional control of what we hold in our minds.

January 15, 2018

The image shows the locus coeruleus, which drives neuronal circuits of the hippocampus and enables novel contextual memory. The red staining shows norepinephrine transporter (NET)-positive cells, indicating the locus coeruleus. The green staining shows adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated expressions of light-sensitive inhibitory opsin, archaerhodopsin (Arch). The blue staining shows all cells in...

How the brain selectively remembers new places

Neuroscientists identify a circuit that helps the brain record memories of new locations.

December 25, 2017

Using a novel analytical method they have developed, MIT researchers analyzed raw brain activity data (B). The spectrogram shows decreased noise and increased frequency resolution, or contrast (E and F) compared to standard spectral analysis methods (C and D).

Recalculating time

A novel algorithm enables statistical analysis of time series data.

December 21, 2017

As part of an investigation into the nature of humans' physical intuitions, MIT researchers trained a neural network to predict how unstably stacked blocks would respond to the force of gravity.

Computer systems predict objects’ responses to physical forces

Results may help explain how humans do the same thing.

December 13, 2017

A new study from MIT researchers provides evidence for an alternative timekeeping system that relies on the neurons responsible for producing a specific action. Depending on the time interval required, these neurons compress or stretch out the steps they take to generate the behavior at a specific time.

How the brain keeps time

Neuroscientists discover networks of neurons that stretch or compress their activity to control timing.

December 4, 2017

Marshall Scholars from left to right: Olivia Zhao, Nick Schwartz, Liang Zhou

Three MIT seniors awarded 2018 Marshall Scholarships

Nick Schwartz, Olivia Zhao, and Liang Zhou will pursue graduate studies in the United Kingdom.

December 4, 2017

To evaluate infants’ intuition regarding what other people value, researchers showed them videos in which an agent (red bouncing ball) decides whether it’s worth the effort to leap over an obstacle to reach a goal (blue cartoon character).

How badly do you want something? Babies can tell

Ten-month-old infants determine the value of a goal from how hard someone works to achieve it.

November 23, 2017

MIT neuroscientists have discovered that making decisions, especially when choosing between two options that have both positive and negative elements, can be dramatically affected by chronic stress.

Stress can lead to risky decisions

Neuroscientists find chronic stress skews decisions toward higher-risk options.

November 16, 2017

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