Yearly Archives: 2021

Source: [Spectrum News, Sarah Deweerdt | November 15, 2021] Since sensory differences became part of the diagnostic criteria for autism in 2013, an increasing number of autism researchers have been drawn to the thalamus, the egg-shaped sensory relay station nestled deep in the brain. The flurry of interest has built […]

Brain’s sensory switchboard has complex connections to autism

Made of components found in the human body, the programmable system is a step toward safer, targeted delivery of gene editing and other molecular therapeutics. Source: [Broad Institute | August 19, 2021] The following press release was issued by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Researchers from MIT, the […]

Scientists harness human protein to deliver molecular medicines to cells

Source: [Picower News | May 10, 2021] Surprising findings can help improve organoid cultures, explain role of GSK3-beta in brain development Like many around the world, the lab of Professor Mriganka Sur in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT has embraced the young technology of cerebral organoids, or “minibrains,” […]

In ‘minibrains,’ hindering key enzyme by different amounts has opposite ...

Small device contains wells to let small bits of tissue grow, develop, and be studied in real time Source: [Picower News | April 7, 2021] Scientists from The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras have grown small amounts of self-organizing brain […]

Tiny brains grown in 3D-printed bioreactor

MIT neuroscientists have identified a brain circuit that stops mice from mating with others that appear to be sick. Source: [MIT News Office, Ann Trafton | March 31, 2021] When someone is sick, it’s natural to want to stay as far from them as possible. It turns out this is […]

Mice naturally engage in physical distancing, study finds