To the brain, reading computer code is not the same as reading language
Neuroscientists find that interpreting code activates a general-purpose brain network, but not language-processing centers.
“SCOUT” helps researchers find, quantify significant differences among organoids
Unbiased, high-throughput analysis pipeline improves utility of “minibrains” for understanding development and diseases such as Zika infection.
Imaging method reveals a “symphony of cellular activities”
Fluorescent imaging technique simultaneously captures different signal types from multiple locations in a live cell.
A hunger for social contact
Neuroscientists find that isolation provokes brain activity similar to that seen during hunger cravings.
Identifying the structure and function of a brain hub
A direct comparison of sensory and higher-order thalamic circuits reveals fundamental differences in how they control the cerebral cortex.
Scientists identify specific brain region and circuits controlling attention
Norepinephrine-producing neurons in the locus coeruleus produce attention focus, impulse control via two distinct connections to prefrontal cortex.
How a worm may yield insights into the gut-brain relationship
Gurrein Madan, brain and cognitive sciences graduate student and MathWorks Fellow, studies gut–brain signaling with implications for human health.
Study helps explain why motivation to learn declines with age
Research on mice suggests aging affects a brain circuit critical for learning to make some types of decisions.
Emery Brown wins Swartz Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience
Award cites major contributions to statistical analysis of brain activity and advancing the neuroscience of anesthesia.
Neural pathway crucial to successful rapid object recognition in primates
Recurrent processing via prefrontal cortex, necessary for quick visual object processing in primates, provides a key insight for developing brain-like artificial intelligence.
Statistical model improves analysis of skin conductance
By accounting for sweat physiology, method can make better use of electrodermal activity for tracking subconscious changes in physical or emotional state.
Scientists uncover new clues about Parkinson’s disease
Tool developed at MIT simultaneously measures chemical and electrical brain signals, revealing unexpectedly complex relationship between brain signals.
Neuroscientists discover a molecular mechanism that allows memories to form
Modifications to chromosomes in “engram” neurons control the encoding and retrieval of memories.
Live imaging method brings structure to mapping brain function
Scientists distinguish brain regions based on what they do, but now have a new way to overlay information about how they are built.
New molecular therapeutics center established at MIT's McGovern Institute
Collaborative research center funded by Lisa Yang and Hock Tan ’75 blends engineering and neuroscience to advance molecular tools for treating brain disorders.