Neuroscience

The monkeys in the MIT study learned two abstract concepts: If the "same" rule was cued, monkeys released a joystick if the images were the same; and if the "different" rule was cued, they released the joystick if the pictures were different. Monkeys could apply these rules to pictures they had never seen before. Many more brain cells in the prefrontal cortex were devoted to the rules -- same or d...

MIT researchers home in on how the brain handles abstract thought

Monkeys in study taught to recognize "same" and "different" images

June 20, 2001

Valentin Dragoi, a postdoctoral fellow in brain and cognitive sciences, (seated) and Professor Mriganka Sur show an image of neural pinwheels on their computer monitor.

Some neurons are quick-change artists

May 9, 2001

Valentin Drago, left, and Mriganka Sur with a map of cells in the primary visual cortex that "see" tilted line segments.

MIT researchers say some brain cells are quick-change artists

May 2, 2001

Sheng appointed to first Menicon chair

April 11, 2001

This diagram illustrates a synapse in the central nervous system. Neurotransmitter molecules are released from presynaptic terminals along the axon of nerve Cell A, travel through the synaptic cleft and reach the postsynaptic terminal on Cell B's dendrite. If the transmitter released reaches a peak concentration quickly (within 1 millisecond) as in a mature release, receptors can detect the messag...

Neurons release neurotransmitters slowly at times, research shows

March 9, 2001

Neurotransmitters released slowly at times, work shows

March 8, 2001

Animals have complex dreams

January 31, 2001

Animals have complex dreams, MIT researcher proves

Study may advance understanding of human learning and memory.

January 24, 2001

Associate Professor Earl K. Miller with computer monitor images of morphing dogs and cats that monkeys are able to categorize.

Individual brain cells are 'tuned' to entire categories of information

January 24, 2001

Monkeys looked at these computer-generated images of composite cats and dogs developed by MIT researcher Tomaso Poggio and pressed a joystick if an image was mostly cat or mostly dog. Individual neurons in the monkeys' brains became tuned to the entire category of "cat" and others to "dog."

MIT researchers find individual brain cells 'tuned' to entire categories of information

Monkeys learn to see differences between cats and dogs

January 11, 2001

Rajesh Ranganathan (left) and Professor H. Robert Horvitz have discovered a fast receptor in worms that responds to serotonin.

Newfound receptor responds to serotonin

December 6, 2000

James Biggs, postdoctoral associate in the Research Lab of Electronics (left), Professor Mandayam Srinivasan, director of MIT's Touch Lab, and mechanical engineering graduate student Jung Kim observe the movement of a robotic arm driven by signals from a monkey at Duke University.

Monkey controls robotic arm using brain signals sent over Internet

December 6, 2000

MIT researchers find new molecule that responds to serotonin

Knowledge may lead to the identification of new drug targets for serotonin, which regulates depression, appetite, sleep

November 22, 2000

Brain imaging distinguishes between seeing and imagining

November 8, 2000

Seeing and imagining are the same to the brain, MIT research shows

The different parts of the brain that are active when we look at faces and places also light up when we imagine them

November 1, 2000

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