Celebrating worm science
Time and again, an unassuming roundworm has illuminated aspects of biology with major consequences for human health.
Prefrontal cortex reaches back into the brain to shape how other regions function
Research illustrates how areas within the brain’s executive control center tailor messages in specific circuits with other brain regions to influence them with information about behavior and feelings.
Guided learning lets “untrainable” neural networks realize their potential
CSAIL researchers find even “untrainable” neural nets can learn effectively when guided by another network’s built-in biases using their guidance method.
RNA editing study finds many ways for neurons to diversify
Tracking how fruit fly motor neurons edit their RNA, neurobiologists cataloged hundreds of target sites and varying editing rates, finding many edits altered communication- and function-related proteins.
MIT study shows how vision can be rebooted in adults with amblyopia
Temporarily anesthetizing the retina briefly reverts the activity of the visual system to that observed in early development and enables growth of responses to the amblyopic (“lazy”) eye.
Too sick to socialize: How the brain and immune system promote staying in bed
MIT researchers discover how an immune system molecule triggers neurons to shut down social behavior in mice modeling infection.
Astrocyte diversity across space and time
A new atlas charts the diversity of an influential cell type in the brains of mice and marmosets.
Staying stable
Whether they walk on two, four, or six legs, animals maintain stability by monitoring their body position and correcting errors with every step.
The cost of thinking
MIT neuroscientists find a surprising parallel in the ways humans and new AI models solve complex problems.
Symposium examines the neural circuits that keep us alive and well
Seven speakers from around the country convened at MIT to describe some of the latest research on the neural mechanisms that we need to survive.
The science of consciousness
Through the MIT Consciousness Club, professors Matthias Michel and Earl Miller are exploring how neurological activity gives rise to human experience.
Study suggests 40Hz sensory stimulation may benefit some Alzheimer’s patients for years
Five volunteers received 40Hz stimulation for around two years after an early-stage clinical study. Those with late-onset Alzheimer’s performed better on assessments than Alzheimer’s patients outside the trial.
MIT researchers invent new human brain model to enable disease research, drug discovery
Cultured from induced pluripotent stem cells, “miBrains” integrate all major brain cell types and model brain structures, cellular interactions, activity, and pathological features.
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.