Neuroscientists identify brain circuit that encodes timing of events
Findings suggest this hippocampal circuit helps us to maintain our timeline of memories.
Jan. 11, 2021 • ~6 min
neuroscience memory research school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences picower-institute
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
“SCOUT” helps researchers find, quantify significant differences among organoids
Unbiased, high-throughput analysis pipeline improves utility of “minibrains” for understanding development and diseases such as Zika infection.
Dec. 14, 2020 • ~9 min
stem-cells medicine neuroscience imaging research cells school-of-engineering school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences national-institutes-of-health-nih institute-for-medical-engineering-and-science-imes picower-institute chemical-engineering
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
Scientists identify specific brain region and circuits controlling attention
Norepinephrine-producing neurons in the locus coeruleus produce attention focus, impulse control via two distinct connections to prefrontal cortex.
Nov. 3, 2020 • ~8 min
neuroscience anxiety biology optogenetics research behavior school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences picower-institute
How a worm may yield insights into the gut-brain relationship
Gurrein Madan, brain and cognitive sciences graduate student and MathWorks Fellow, studies gut–brain signaling with implications for human health.
Oct. 27, 2020 • ~6 min
health neuroscience research students awards-honors-and-fellowships graduate-postdoctoral school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences picower-institute
Elegance in C. elegans
Gurrein Madan, brain and cognitive sciences graduate student and MathWorks Fellow, studies gut–brain signaling with implications for human health.
Oct. 27, 2020 • ~6 min
health neuroscience research students awards-honors-and-fellowships graduate-postdoctoral school-of-science brain-and-cognitive-sciences picower-institute
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
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