Neuroscience

Lauren Uhr: a brain researcher motivated by personal experience

MIT senior studies cognitive science and medicine from the vantage point of a person with dyslexia.

November 21, 2016

MIT Assistant Professor Kay Tye (left) receives the Young Investigator Award from Society for Neuroscience President Hollis Cline.

Kay Tye Receives the Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award

Picower Neuroscientist recognized for her work on emotional circuitry of the brain.

November 15, 2016

Beta-amyloid plaque deposits (red) disrupt mylelin (green) organization in the brain and activate microglia (orange), driving the inflammation, neurodegeneration, and cognitive disfunction associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Creating therapies for Alzheimer's disease by targeting neural circuits

Study finds a complex series of molecular, cellular, circuit and network-level changes contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's.

November 9, 2016

“The process of how the neural circuits come back online following anesthesia has not really been studied in depth, and this is something that interested us from a clinical standpoint, because we are investigating ways to rapidly reverse anesthesia,” says Ken Solt, a research affiliate in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT and an anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hos...

Study suggests approach to waking patients after surgery

Activating certain brain neurons may spur recovery from general anesthesia.

October 24, 2016

Molecular fMRI data showing signal changes from serotonin sensors in the absence (left) and presence (right) of the antidepressant Prozac, with each square denoting an individual brain voxel. Red squares indicate the signal has increased, as more serotonin is absorbed into neurons; blue squares indicate the signal has decreased, as less serotonin is absorbed into neurons. Dotted and solid lines gr...

Mapping serotonin dynamics in the living brain

Imaging technique that creates 3-D video of serotonin transport could aid antidepressant development.

October 20, 2016

Scientists have identified two key groups of neurons within the hypothalamus that help regulate appetite.

A new player in appetite control

Brain cells that provide structural support also influence feeding behavior, study shows.

October 18, 2016

A new study from MIT finds that positive and negative emotions are controlled by two populations of neurons that are genetically programmed to encode memories of either fearful or pleasurable events.

A delicate balance between positive and negative emotion

Neuroscientists identify two neuron populations that encode happy or fearful memories.

October 17, 2016

Kwanghun Chung, the Samuel A. Goldblith Career Development Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and assistant professor at the Institute of Medical Engineering and Science

Kwanghun Chung receives NIH New Innovator Award

Award will support the development of technologies that can enable a better understanding of complex biological systems.

October 13, 2016

MIT neuroscientists have identified neurons that are responsible for storing memories of familiar individuals. These cells, labeled green, are located in a region of the hippocampus known as the vCA1.

Scientists identify neurons devoted to social memory

Cells in the hippocampus store memories of acquaintances, a new study reports.

September 29, 2016

MIT scientists have identified a way to enhance the long-term benefit of exposure therapy in rats, offering a way to improve the therapy in people suffering from phobias and more complicated conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Pinpointing a brain circuit that can keep fears at bay

Study suggests path to prolonging treatment effectiveness for phobias or post-traumatic stress disorder.

September 26, 2016

MIT neuroscientists have identified tight connections between dopamine-producing cells of the substantia nigra (red) and neurons in the striatum (green). These connections, which show up as yellow, may play a role in the brain’s decision-making processes.

Newly discovered neural connections may be linked to emotional decision-making

Researchers suspect cells in this brain circuit could also be targets of Parkinson’s disease.

September 19, 2016

“Our understanding of our environment is largely shaped by our memory for what’s currently out of sight,” says Caroline Robertson, a postdoc at MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research and a junior fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows. “What we were looking for are hubs in the brain where your memories for the panoramic environment are integrated with your current field of view....

How the brain builds panoramic memory

Neuroscientists identify brain regions key to linking different views of our surroundings.

September 8, 2016

Decoding hidden dreams

Neuroscientists decrypt the sleeping brain to reveal hidden memories.

August 30, 2016

Faculty at MIT and beyond respond forcefully to an article critical of Suzanne Corkin

More than 200 members of the scientific community sign a letter supporting the late MIT neuroscientist; department head issues a statement.

August 9, 2016

Neuroscientists have long wondered why the brain has a region exclusively dedicated to reading — a skill that is unique to humans and only developed about 5,400 years ago.

Study finds brain connections key to reading

Pathways that exist before kids learn to read may determine development of brain’s word recognition area.

August 8, 2016

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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