New technologies reveal cross-cutting breakdowns in Alzheimer’s disease
“Single-cell profiling” is helping neuroscientists see how disease affects major brain cell types and identify common, potentially targetable pathways.
Holding information in mind may mean storing it among synapses
Comparing models of working memory with real-world data, MIT researchers find information resides not in persistent neural activity, but in the pattern of its connections.
Professor Emeritus Richard Wurtman, influential figure in translational research, dies at 86
Longtime MIT professor of neuroscience led research behind 200 patents, laying the groundwork for numerous medical products.
This is your brain. This is your brain on code
MIT researchers are discovering which parts of the brain are engaged when a person evaluates a computer program.
Five from MIT named 2023 Quad Fellows
The new fellowship from the governments of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, administered by Schmidt Futures, supports graduate education in STEM fields.
Small studies of 40-hertz sensory stimulation confirm safety, suggest Alzheimer’s benefits
MIT researchers report early-stage clinical study results of tests with noninvasive 40-hertz light and sound treatment.
Using light to manipulate neuron excitability
A new optogenetics-based tool allows researchers to control how neurons respond to electrical input.
How touch dampens the brain’s response to painful stimuli
Rubbing an aching body part can bring some relief. Neuroscientists at MIT's McGovern Institute are looking to find out why.
Silent synapses are abundant in the adult brain
These immature connections may explain how the adult brain is able to form new memories and absorb new information.
Teresa Gao named 2024 Mitchell Scholar
The MIT senior will pursue postgraduate studies in computer science in Ireland.
Alzheimer’s risk gene undermines insulation of brain’s “wiring”
In people carrying APOE4, a key brain cell mismanages cholesterol needed to insulate neurons properly — another sign APOE4 contributes to disease by disrupting brain lipids.
Are Covid-19 “comas” signs of a protective hibernation state?
Scientists hypothesize that, as in a hibernating turtle, the brain under sedation and deprived of oxygen may assume a protective state.
Study: Zebrafish are smarter than we thought
Researchers have discovered that the brains of these simple fish can create three-dimensional maps of their surroundings.
Ila Fiete wins Swartz Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience
Society for Neuroscience honors BCS professor for breakthrough research modeling a component of the brain’s navigational system.
Solving brain dynamics gives rise to flexible machine-learning models
MIT CSAIL researchers solve a differential equation behind the interaction of two neurons through synapses to unlock a new type of speedy and efficient AI algorithm.