Jerome Lettvin, MIT professor emeritus, dies at 91
Dynamic cognitive scientist made key contributions to neurophysiology and vision science.
Seeing the light
Optogenetic technology restores visual behavior in mice, holds promise for treating human blindness.
Re-creating autism, in mice
Mice with a particular gene mutation avoid interacting with other mice and show compulsive, repetitive behavior.
Parts of brain can switch functions
In people born blind, brain regions that usually process vision can tackle language.
What blame can tell us about autism
Neuroscientists find evidence that autistic patients have trouble understanding other people’s intentions.
Illuminating the brain
Neuroscientists’ new technique can stimulate brain cells, then reveal how those neurons influence the rest of the brain.
Understanding the anesthetized brain
Neuroscientist Emery Brown hopes to shed light on a longstanding medical mystery: how general anesthesia works.
A new way to evaluate dyslexia
Neuroscientists show that brain scans can predict whether children’s reading ability will improve.
When gender isn’t written all over one’s face
Neuroscientists find that the same face may look male or female, depending on where it appears in a person’s field of view.
Heading off trauma
Study suggests adding a face shield to military helmets would help more soldiers avoid blast-induced brain injuries.
Brain control
Ed Boyden is learning how to alter behavior by using light to turn neurons on and off.
Force of habit
New study shows that costs and rewards of behavior help the brain form optimal habits.
Younger brains are easier to rewire
Study of blind patients supports the idea that there is a period early in a person’s development when brain regions can switch functions.