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.
Dec. 15, 2020 • ~7 min
neuroscience linguistics learning research school-of-science computer-science-and-technology technology-and-society brain-and-cognitive-sciences computer-science-and-artificial-intelligence-laboratory-csail national-science-foundation-nsf stem-education mcgovern-institute mit-schwarzman-college-of-computing
One more clue to brain changes in Huntington’s disease
Opioid receptor MOR1 changes discovered in neurodegenerative disease model.
Dec. 10, 2020 • ~5 min
disease research school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences mcgovern-institute huntingtons
Neuroscientists find a way to make object-recognition models perform better
Adding a module that mimics part of the brain can prevent common errors made by computer vision models.
Dec. 3, 2020 • ~8 min
machine-learning artificial-intelligence research school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences center-for-brains-minds-and-machines quest-for-intelligence mcgovern-institute defense-advanced-research-projects-agency-darpa mit-schwarzman-college-of-computing mit-ibm-watson-ai-lab
How humans use objects in novel ways to solve problems
What's SSUP? The Sample, Simulate, Update cognitive model developed by MIT researchers learns to use tools like humans do.
Nov. 24, 2020 • ~5 min
machine-learning artificial-intelligence learning research school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences center-for-brains-minds-and-machines mcgovern-institute
Imaging method reveals a “symphony of cellular activities”
Fluorescent imaging technique simultaneously captures different signal types from multiple locations in a live cell.
Nov. 23, 2020 • ~7 min
neuroscience research media-lab school-of-architecture-and-planning school-of-engineering school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences national-science-foundation-nsf national-institutes-of-health-nih biological-engineering koch-institute mcgovern-institute
A hunger for social contact
Neuroscientists find that isolation provokes brain activity similar to that seen during hunger cravings.
Nov. 23, 2020 • ~8 min
neuroscience mental-health covid-19 pandemic research school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences national-institutes-of-health-nih mcgovern-institute
Using machine learning to track the pandemic’s impact on mental health
Textual analysis of social media posts finds users’ anxiety and suicide-risk levels are rising, among other negative trends.
Nov. 5, 2020 • ~8 min
machine-learning social-media artificial-intelligence mental-health covid-19 pandemic research school-of-science electrical-engineering-computer-science-eecs brain-and-cognitive-sciences health-sciences-and-technology mcgovern-institute national-institutes-of-nih
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.
Oct. 27, 2020 • ~8 min
neuroscience aging research behavior school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences mcgovern-institute
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.
Oct. 20, 2020 • ~5 min
neuroscience artificial-intelligence vision research school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences center-for-brains-minds-and-machines mcgovern-institute
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.
Oct. 13, 2020 • ~7 min
neuroscience disease research school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences mcgovern-institute parkinsons
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