Yearly Archives: 2019

Power play: Some babies with autism show unusually steep increases over time in the power of delta waves. courtesy of Laurel Gabard-Durnam Source: [Spectrum, Nicole Wetsman | October 16, 2019] Brain activity patterns in the first year of life may predict autism in infants at high risk for the condition, a new […]

Certain patterns of brain waves in babies may forecast autism

Source: [Anne Trafton | MIT News Office, October 9, 2019] Fluorescent probe could allow scientists to watch circuits within the brain and link their activity to specific behaviors. Using a fluorescent probe that lights up when brain cells are electrically active, MIT and Boston University researchers have shown that they […]

New method visualizes groups of neurons as they compute

Brain and cognitive sciences professor studies how the human mind is able to learn so rapidly. Source: [Anne Trafton  | MIT News Office, September 25, 2019] Josh Tenenbaum, a professor in MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences who studies human cognition, has been named a recipient of a 2019 […]

Josh Tenenbaum receives 2019 MacArthur Fellowship

Whitehead Institute team finds drugs that activate a key brain gene; initial tests in cells and mice show promise for rare, untreatable neurodevelopmental disorder. Source: [Nicole Davis  | MIT News Office, July 31, 2019] A research team led by Whitehead Institute scientists has identified 30 distinct chemical compounds — 20 […]

Speeding up drug discovery for brain diseases

Source: [Anne Trafton | MIT News Office, June 12, 2019] Neuroscientists trace a brain circuit that filters unwanted sensory input. Imagine trying to focus on a friend’s voice at a noisy party, or blocking out the phone conversation of the person sitting next to you on the bus while you […]

How we tune out distractions

Source: [Spectrum, Jessica Wright | June 12, 2019] Researchers have engineered two generations of monkeys with mutations in SHANK3, a top autism gene. The first generation shows traits reminiscent of the condition, according to a study published today in Nature1. The researchers are the first to engineer monkeys using the gene-editing tool CRISPR and […]

Monkeys with autism mutation show condition’s key traits

Source: [Anne Trafton | MIT News Office, April 22, 2019] Mouse study yields insights into the rare condition, may shed light on other neurological disorders. Williams Syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that affects about 1 in 10,000 babies born in the United States, produces a range of symptoms including cognitive […]

Neuroscientists reverse some behavioral symptoms of Williams Syndrome

Source: [Anne Trafton | MIT News Office, February 22, 2019] Noninvasive measurements of calcium could reveal neurons’ roles in different types of behavior. Calcium is a critical signaling molecule for most cells, and it is especially important in neurons. Imaging calcium in brain cells can reveal how neurons communicate with […]

New MRI sensor can image activity deep within the brain

Members have made advances in molecular processes, rheology, computer networking, nanocrystalline metals, affective computing, and semiconductor tech. Source: [MIT News, School of Engineering | February 11, 2019] Six MIT researchers are among the 86 new members and 18 foreign associates elected to the National Academy of Engineering. Election to the National Academy of […]

Rosalind Picard is among six MIT researchers elected to the ...

Source: [Anne Trafton | MIT News Office, January 17, 2019] New 3-D imaging technique can reveal, much more quickly than other methods, how neurons connect throughout the brain. Researchers have developed a new way to image the brain with unprecedented resolution and speed. Using this approach, they can locate individual […]

Mapping the brain at high resolution

Source: [David Orenstein | Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, January 15, 2019] Research by neuroscientists at MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory helps explain how the brain regulates arousal. The big day has come: You are taking your road test to get your driver’s license. As you start […]

Brain study finds circuits that may help you keep your ...

Source: [David Orenstein | Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, January 11, 2019] Substantial refinements of three-photon microscopy allow for novel discoveries in neuroscience. Just like doctors seek to scan deeper into the body with sonograms, CT, and MRI, and astronomers seek to look farther out into the universe with space-based telescopes, adaptive […]

Scope advance gives first look through all cortical layers of ...