Study: Deep neural networks don’t see the world the way we do
Images that humans perceive as completely unrelated can be classified as the same by computational models.
Retraining the brain for better vision
Professor Mark Bear's research on brain plasticity spins off a promising candidate to treat amblyopia, or lazy eye.
Study advances understanding of visual recognition memory
Scientists have invested decades in piecing together how our vision is so good at recognizing what’s familiar. A new study overcomes an apparent discrepancy in data to reveal a new insight into how it works.
How a single neuron’s parallel outputs can coordinate many aspects of behavior
Study finds that in worms, the HSN neuron uses multiple chemicals and connections to orchestrate egg-laying and locomotion over the course of several minutes.
One scientist’s journey from the Middle East to MIT
Through his leadership and vision, McGovern Institute postdoc Ubadah Sabbagh aims to improve the scientific process in the US and abroad.
Individual neurons mix multiple RNA edits of key synapse protein, study finds
Neurons stochastically generated up to eight different versions of a protein-regulating neurotransmitter release, which could vary how they communicate with other cells.
Re-imagining our theories of language
Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences faculty members Ev Fedorenko, Ted Gibson, and Roger Levy believe they can answer a fundamental question: What is the purpose of language?
Study decodes surprising approach mice take in learning
In a simple game that humans typically ace, mice learn the winning strategy, too, but refuse to commit to it, new research shows.
Molecule reduces inflammation in Alzheimer’s models
A potential new Alzheimer’s drug represses the harmful inflammatory response of the brain’s immune cells, reducing disease pathology, preserving neurons, and improving cognition in preclinical tests.
Kimberly Rose Bennett awarded HHMI Gilliam Fellowship
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellows are selected for their promise as future leaders in their scientific fields and for their commitment to advancing equity and inclusion.
Study connects neural gene expression differences to functional distinctions
Researchers compared a pair of superficially similar motor neurons in fruit flies to examine how their differing use of the same genome produced distinctions in form and function.
Cracking the code that relates brain and behavior in a simple animal
MIT researchers model and create an atlas for how neurons of the worm C. elegans encode its behaviors, make findings available on their “WormWideWeb.”
Summer research offers a springboard to advanced studies
Three graduate students forged a path to the same Picower Institute lab through participating in the MIT Summer Research Program in Biology and Neuroscience.
AI models are powerful, but are they biologically plausible?
A new study bridging neuroscience and machine learning offers insights into the potential role of astrocytes in the human brain.
A cool path to disease deceleration
MIT PhD student Kathrin Kajderowicz is studying how hibernation-like states could pave the way for new hypothermic therapies.