High-precision technique stores cellular “memory” in DNA
Engineers program human and bacterial cells to keep a record of complex molecular events.
How brain cells pick which connections to keep
Novel study shows protein CPG15 acts as a molecular proxy of experience to mark synapses for stabilization.
How expectation influences perception
Neuroscientists find brain activity patterns that encode our beliefs and affect how we interpret the world around us.
Brain wave stimulation may improve Alzheimer’s symptoms
Noninvasive treatment improves memory and reduces amyloid plaques in mice.
Real-time readouts of thinking in rats
New open-source system provides fast, accurate neural decoding and real-time readouts of where rats think they are.
How returning to a prior context aids memory recall
Picower Institute researchers discover the brain mechanism that helps details come flooding back when you visit a scene again.
How the brain switches between different sets of rules
When you slow down after exiting the highway, or hush your voice in the library, you’re using this brain mechanism.
Meeting of the Minds
Mahdi Ramadan and Alexi Choueiri’s common experiences as Lebanese evacuees led both to study the human brain at MIT.
How working memory gets you through the day
A new model shows how brain waves are key to both maintenance and control of information in the mind.
The debate over how working memory works
Scientists present dueling theories in the high-stakes quest to understand how we hold and juggle multiple pieces of information in mind.
As brain extracts meaning from vision, study tracks progression of processing
Six brain regions participate in a more blended way than has been appreciated.
MIT scientists discover fundamental rule of brain plasticity
Study reveals how, when a synapse strengthens, its neighbors weaken.
Protein pair quickly makes memories of new places
MIT researchers find that encountering novel contexts cues the brain to churn out neurogranin.
Fighting toxic stress in children is tough but possible
Taking time to understand underlying causes of stress can help children escape debilitating health effects, symposium speakers argue.
Brain circuit helps us learn by watching others
Scientists pinpoint neural interactions that are necessary for observational learning.