Mental health

“How lithium acts on the brain has been this great mystery of psychopharmacology,” says Joshua Meisel, an MIT postdoc and lead author of a new study. “There are hypotheses, but nothing’s been proven.”

New clue to how lithium works in the brain

Biologists find a possible explanation for why the drug helps bipolar patients.

July 7, 2016

Chancellor announces realignment of key student support organizations into Division of Student Life

Blanche Staton will serve as interim graduate dean.

July 1, 2016

MyLife Services: A new benefit for MIT faculty, staff, postdocs, and families

MIT employees and their families can now take advantage of a network of experts to help with personal, financial, emotional, and other concerns.

June 24, 2016

Fen Tung, a BollyX Regional Trainer for Boston, will play an integral role in Rheinila Fernandes’s “Motivate and Move” pilot for MIT graduate students this summer.

MindHandHeart’s 10 newest Innovation Fund projects reduce stress and lower barriers to support

The MindHandHeart Innovation Fund announced its third round of grant winners at its final steering committee meeting for the academic year.

May 25, 2016

In the top image, a neuronal axon (green) forms many synapses, highlighted in purple. The bottom image shows an axon from a fruit fly lacking the Shank protein. In these flies, not as many synapses form, and some of them (indicated by the white arrows) do not fully mature.

Neuroscientists illuminate role of autism-linked gene

Loss of Shank gene prevents neuronal synapses from properly maturing.

May 24, 2016

Puppy Lab founder Stephanie Ku (left) poses with Wingnut and Puppy Lab team-in-training Ann Peters of MIT Lincoln Lab and Pythagoras.

MIT Puppy Lab to open during National Mental Health Awareness Month

Stephanie Ku’s Puppy Lab, a proposal funded by the MindHandHeart Innovation Fund, opens its doors during the two weeks before and during finals.

May 4, 2016

Two neurons of the basolateral amygdala. MIT neuroscientists have found that these neurons play a key role in separating information about positive and negative experiences.

How the brain processes emotions

Neuroscientists identify circuits that could play a role in mental illnesses, including depression.

March 31, 2016

The brain’s thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), highlighted in the center, is responsible for blocking out distracting sensory input. "For autism, schizophrenia, and other neurodevelopmental disorders, it seems like TRN dysfunction may be involved in some patients,” Guoping Feng says.

Study reveals a basis for attention deficits

New findings could help scientists develop treatments for ADHD and other disorders.

March 23, 2016

Founding planners of RAK Week, Bettina Arkhurst and Cory Johnson (left and far right), with volunteer graphic designer Daniel Sanchez (center).

Two sophomores champion MIT’s first Random Acts of Kindness Week

Proposal funded by the MindHandHeart Innovation Fund set to launch after spring break; new Innovation Fund applications accepted through March.

March 17, 2016

Alan Siegel to retire as chief of MIT Medical’s Mental Health and Counseling Service

Alan Siegel, chief of MIT Medical’s Mental Health and Counseling Service, will retire from his position after nearly 15 years.

February 24, 2016

In this image of the dorsal raphe nucleus, dopamine neurons are labeled in green, red, or both (appearing yellow).

Pinpointing loneliness in the brain

Scientists identify cells that represent feelings of isolation.

February 11, 2016

Wingnut, puppy of grad student Stephanie Ku ’14, is a future therapy dog for the MIT Puppy Lab, a first-round MindHandHeart-funded project.

Second-round MindHandHeart Innovation Fund grant recipients announced

Grants totaling $24,870 were awarded to seven proposals in the second Innovation Fund cycle.

January 27, 2016

MIT researchers scanned the brains of children who were not depressed but had a parent who had suffered from the disorder. Such children are three times more likely to become depressed later in life, usually between the ages of 15 and 30.

Diagnosing depression before it starts

Brain scans may identify children who are vulnerable to depression, before symptoms appear.

January 21, 2016

MIT spinout Cogito developed voice-analytics software for call centers that tracks and analyzes voice patterns of customers and agents — such as interruptions and rapid speech — and offers real-time feedback to make the conversations more productive.

Watch your tone

Voice-analytics software helps customer-service reps build better rapport with customers.

January 20, 2016

The gene Shank3 has been linked to both autism and schizophrenia. Researchers found that two different mutations of the Shank3 gene produce some distinct molecular and behavioral effects in mice.

How one gene contributes to two diseases

Neuroscientists unravel Shank3 gene’s role in autism and schizophrenia.

December 10, 2015

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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