Studying consciousness without affecting it
A new study tests an alternative to external stimulation for measuring when subjects lose and regain responsiveness during sedation and anesthesia.
Drones navigate unseen environments with liquid neural networks
MIT researchers exhibit a new advancement in autonomous drone navigation, using brain-inspired liquid neural networks that excel in out-of-distribution scenarios.
Neuroscientists identify cells especially vulnerable to Alzheimer’s
Neurons that form part of a memory circuit are among the first brain cells to show signs of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease.
A new peptide may hold potential as an Alzheimer’s treatment
The peptide blocks a hyperactive brain enzyme that contributes to the neurodegeneration seen in Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
Nelson Yuan-sheng Kiang, influential researcher in human hearing science, dies at 93
He conducted groundbreaking research into auditory physiology at MIT and Harvard Medical School, and was the founding director of the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Mass Eye and Ear.
Astrocyte cells critical for learning skilled movements
When astrocyte function is disrupted, neurons in the brain’s motor cortex struggle to execute and refine motion, a new study in mice shows.
“Spatial computing” enables flexible working memory
The brain applies rhythms to physical patches of the cortex to selectively control just the right neurons at the right times to do the right things.
3 Questions: Mriganka Sur on the research origins of the first approved drug to treat Rett syndrome
On March 10 the FDA approved Trofinetide, a drug based on the protein IGF-1. The MIT professor's original research showing that IGF-1 could treat Rett was published in 2009.
Studies of unusual brains reveal critical insights into brain organization, function
Ev Fedorenko’s Interesting Brains Project highlights the human brain’s remarkable capacity to adapt, reorganize in the face of early damage.
Researchers map brain cell changes in Alzheimer’s disease
Study reveals key cell structures and gene expression changes near amyloid plaques and tau tangles in mouse brain tissue.
Sparse, small, but diverse neural connections help make perception reliable, efficient
First detailed mapping and modeling of thalamus inputs onto visual cortex neurons show brain leverages “wisdom of the crowd” to process sensory information.
Portable cap can measure cognition with pulsed laser light
The cap will help researchers gain new insight into how the brain functions.
How Huntington’s disease affects different neurons
A new study identifies cells that are the most vulnerable within a brain structure involved in mood and movement.
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.