Brain and cognitive sciences

When zebra finches first begin to sing, they produce only nonsense syllables similar to the babble of human babies. Now researchers at MIT have uncovered the brain activity that supports the birds’ song-learning process.

Singing in the brain

Neuroscientists identify neural patterns birds use to learn their songs.

November 30, 2015

Motor neurons (green) form synapses (highlighted in magenta) on muscle fibers in a fruit fly. MIT neuroscientists have discovered a pathway that contributes to strengthening these synapses.

Neuroscientists reveal how the brain can enhance connections

Newly identified mechanism allows the brain to strengthen links between neurons.

November 18, 2015

What counts as fair?

Neuroscientists find that children’s ability to count is key to distributing resources based on merit.

November 10, 2015

(Left to right) Edward Boyden, Larry Guth, and Liang Fu

Edward Boyden wins 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences

MIT physicists share prize in fundamental physics; Larry Guth and Liang Fu win New Horizons Prizes.

November 9, 2015

To locate objects, brain relies on memory

Neuroscientists identify brain region that holds objects in memory until they are spotted.

October 29, 2015

Kwanghun Chung awarded Packard Fellowship

Funding will support the development of novel technologies for better understanding of large-scale biological systems.

October 20, 2015

Human neuron progenitors express neural stem cell marker Nestin (green).

Leveraging genetic diversity to drive precision medicine

Taking advantage of genetic heterogeneity in autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders could lead to precision therapies.

October 16, 2015

illustration of a brain with glowing spots

How the brain controls sleep

Brain structure generates pockets of sleep within the brain.

October 13, 2015

How the brain keeps time

Study reveals neuron-firing patterns that underlie time measurement.

October 8, 2015

Researchers have found that neuron firing patterns in the inferior temporal (IT) cortex, highlighted here, correlate strongly with success in object-recognition tasks.

How the brain recognizes objects

Neuroscientists find evidence that the brain’s inferotemporal cortex can identify objects.

October 5, 2015

Flickr users tagged a photograph similar to this one
“architecture," “tourism," and "travel.” A machine-learning system that
used a novel training strategy developed at MIT proposed “sky," “roof,”
and “building”; when it used a conventional training strategy, it came up
with “art," “sky,” and "beach.”

More-flexible machine learning

Giving machine-learning systems “partial credit” during training improves image classification.

October 1, 2015

Finding a noninvasive way to measure pressure in the brain

MIT researchers team up with Boston Medical Center and Philips to test a noninvasive way to measure intracranial pressure.

September 30, 2015

CRISPR systems are found in many different bacterial species, and have evolved to protect host cells against infection by viruses.

New system for human genome editing has potential to increase power and precision of DNA engineering

CRISPR-Cpf1 offers simpler approach to editing DNA; technology could disrupt scientific and commercial landscape.

September 25, 2015

MIT biologists found that the yeast protein Rim4 forms disordered clumps similar to the beta-amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease, shown here.

Biologists find unexpected role for amyloid-forming protein

Yeast protein could offer clues to how Alzheimer’s plaques form in the brain.

September 24, 2015

This image shows entorhinal "ocean cells" (red) and "island cells" (blue). Green fluorescence indicates ocean cells that have been genetically altered.

How the brain encodes time and place

Neuroscientists identify a brain circuit that is critical for forming episodic memories.

September 23, 2015

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