This is your brain without sleep
New research shows attention lapses due to sleep deprivation coincide with a flushing of fluid from the brain — a process that normally occurs during sleep.
Neural activity helps circuit connections mature into optimal signal transmitters
Scientists identified how circuit connections in fruit flies tune to the right size and degree of signal transmission capability. Understanding this could lead to a way to tweak abnormal signal transmission in certain disorders.
Blending neuroscience, AI, and music to create mental health innovations
Media Lab PhD student Kimaya Lecamwasam researches how music can shape well-being.
New MIT initiative seeks to transform rare brain disorders research
The Rare Brain Disorders Nexus aims to accelerate the development of novel therapies for a spectrum of uncommon brain diseases.
Immune-informed brain aging research offers new treatment possibilities, speakers say
Speakers at MIT’s Aging Brain Initiative symposium described how immune system factors during aging contribute to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other conditions. The field is leveraging that knowledge to develop new therapies.
Study sheds light on musicians’ enhanced attention
Brain imaging suggests people with musical training may be better than others at filtering out distracting sounds.
Study finds key role for non-neural brain cells in processing vision
MIT researchers employed a novel application of tools and analysis to show that astrocytes ensure neural information processing by maintaining ambient levels of the neurotransmitter chemical GABA.
How the brain splits up vision without you even noticing
As an object moves across your field of view, the brain seamlessly hands off visual processing from one hemisphere to the other like cell phone towers or relay racers do, a new MIT study shows.
A better understanding of debilitating head pain
Tom Zeller’s new book, “The Headache,” sheds light on one of the world’s most confounding and agonizing ailments.
Study explains how a rare gene variant contributes to Alzheimer’s disease
Lipid metabolism and cell membrane function can be disrupted in the neurons of people who carry rare variants of ABCA7.
Alzheimer’s erodes brain cells’ control of gene expression, undermining function, cognition
Study of 3.5 million cells from more than 100 human brains finds Alzheimer’s progression — and resilience to disease — depends on preserving epigenomic stability.
A comprehensive cellular-resolution map of brain activity
An international collaboration of neuroscientists, including MIT Professor Ila Fiete, developed a brain-wide map of decision-making at cellular resolution in mice.
New gift expands mental illness studies at Poitras Center for Psychiatric Disorders Research
A commitment from longtime supporters Patricia and James Poitras ’63 initiates multidisciplinary efforts to understand and treat complex psychiatric disorders.
New technologies tackle brain health assessment for the military
Tools build on years of research at Lincoln Laboratory to develop a rapid brain health screening capability and may also be applicable to civilian settings such as sporting events and medical offices.
Imaging tech promises deepest looks yet into living brain tissue at single-cell resolution
By combining several cutting-edge imaging technologies, a new microscope system could enable unprecedentedly deep and precise visualization of metabolic and neuronal activity, potentially even in humans.