Brain and cognitive sciences

MIT engineers have developed magnetic nanoparticles (shown in white squares) that can stimulate the adrenal gland to produce stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.

Researchers achieve remote control of hormone release

Using magnetic nanoparticles, scientists stimulate the adrenal gland in rodents to control release of hormones linked to stress.

April 10, 2020

Left to right: Katie Collins, Vaishnavi Phadnis, and Vaibhavi Shah are three of the 396 undergraduates in the United States to receive 2020-21 Goldwater Scholarships.

Katie Collins, Vaishnavi Phadnis, and Vaibhavi Shah named 2020-21 Goldwater Scholars

Three MIT undergraduates who use computer science to explore human biology and health honored for their academic achievements.

April 9, 2020

MIT Senior Research Associate Kendyll Burnell and her poodle Soma examine neural imaging data together at home during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Researching from home: Science stays social, even at a distance

Picower Institute researchers are advancing their work in many ways despite time away from the lab required to corral Covid-19.

April 7, 2020

“When you encounter something new, there are some really new and notable stimuli, but you already know quite a bit about that particular experience, because it’s a similar kind of experience to what you have already had before,” says Susumu Tonegawa, a professor of biology and neuroscience at the RIKEN-MIT Laboratory of Neural Circuit Genetics at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Me...

Neuroscientists find memory cells that help us interpret new situations

Neurons that store abstract representations of past experiences are activated when a new, similar event takes place.

April 6, 2020

McGovern research scientist Jill Crittenden helped the N95DECON consortium assess face mask decontamination protocols so health-care workers can easily access them for Covid-19 protection.

MIT scientist helps build Covid-19 resource to address shortage of face masks

Jill Crittenden and colleagues in a new consortium provides guidance for health care workers on decontamination and reuse of N95 face masks.

April 3, 2020

MIT biological engineers have created a specialized sensor that allows them to track dopamine in the brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as shown in the bottom row. Images in the top row show overall brain activity, as measured by functional MRI.

How dopamine drives brain activity

A specialized MRI sensor reveals the neurotransmitter’s influence on neural activity throughout the brain.

April 1, 2020

MIT researchers have 3-D-printed soft electronically active polymers into a number of devices, including a pliable neural electrode, and (shown here) a flexible circuit.

Engineers 3D print soft, rubbery brain implants

Technique may enable speedy, on-demand design of softer, safer neural devices.

March 30, 2020

MIT neuroscientist Ed Boyden has received the 2020 Wilhelm Exner Medal.

Ed Boyden wins prestigious Wilhelm Exner Medal

Entrepreneurial science award recognizes scientists whose work opens up “new dimensions of economic progress."

March 18, 2020

School of Science announces 2020 Infinite Mile Awards

Ten staff members recognized for dedication to School of Science and to MIT.

March 16, 2020

Milo Phillips-Brown (left) and Marion Boulicault are part of a team working on transforming technology ethics education at MIT.

3 Questions: Marion Boulicault and Milo Phillips-Brown on ethics in a technical curriculum

Philosophers are part of a team working on transforming technology ethics education at MIT.

March 11, 2020

MIT neuroscientists have identified a “landmark code” that helps the brain navigate our surroundings.

How the brain encodes landmarks that help us navigate

Neuroscientists discover how a key brain region combines visual and spatial information to help us find our way.

March 10, 2020

MIT cognitive scientists have developed a computer model of face recognition that performs a series of computations that reverse the steps that a computer graphics program would use to generate a 2D representation of a face.

A new model of vision

Computer model of face processing could reveal how the brain produces richly detailed visual representations so quickly.

March 4, 2020

Left to right: The Machu Picchu Design Heritage project is a past Global Seed Fund recipient. Paloma Gonzalez, Takehiko Nagakura, Chang Liu, and Wenzhe Peng pose with a panoramic view of Machu Picchu in Peru. They are part of an MIT team that has worked to digitally document the site.

Empowering faculty partnerships across the globe

MISTI Global Seed Funds program has delivered $22 million to faculty since 2008.

March 3, 2020

MIT neuroscientists have discovered a brain circuit that appears to contribute to the sensory hypersensitivity often seen in people with autism spectrum disorders.

The neural basis of sensory hypersensitivity

A new study may explain why people with autism are often highly sensitive to light and noise.

March 2, 2020

MIT researchers (left to right) Qianli Liao, Tomaso Poggio, and Andrzej Banburski stand with their equations.

Demystifying the world of deep networks

Researchers discover that no magic is required to explain why deep networks generalize despite going against statistical intuition.

February 28, 2020

MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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