A cross section of a mouse brain glows with a magenta hue. Many individual speckles across the whole brain are lit up brighter.
January 14, 2026
How a unique class of neurons may set the table for brain development
A realistic rendering shows a wide field of neurons densely bunched together
December 29, 2025
Biology-based brain model matches animals in learning, enables new discovery
On a black background there is a profile of a head with a light colored line-art brain in the middle. The brain has bright spots in various areas. From front and back, waves made of vertical lines emanate from the head.
December 22, 2025
To flexibly organize thought, the brain makes use of space
A view of the upper right quadrant of a cross section of a mouse brain. An arc of tissue extends from the top left to the bottom right. Along the arc there are stripes of neurons glowing in eithe red or green in distinct layers of the tissue
November 25, 2025
Prefrontal cortex reaches back into the brain to shape how other regions function
A 4 by 2 array of panels shows neurons in a brain section. Green "Myc" labeling indicates the presence of a receptor. Magenta "fos" labeling indicates neural activity. There is more magenta on the bottom row, which is labeled "IL-1B"
November 25, 2025
Too sick to socialize: How the brain and immune system promote staying in bed

Studying consciousness without affecting it

April 6, 2023
Research Findings
A new study tests an alternative to external stimulation for measuring when subjects lose and regain responsiveness during sedation and anesthesia.

Spring break tours give high schoolers a chance to see science up close

March 31, 2023
Picower Events
Teens from area high schools got the chance to learn about advanced biology and brain research on field trips to MIT

‘Spatial Computing’ enables flexible working memory

March 15, 2023
Research Findings
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.

Astrocyte cells critical for learning skilled movements

March 10, 2023
Research Findings
When astrocyte function is disrupted, neurons in the brain’s motor cortex struggle to execute and refine motion, a new study in mice shows.

3 questions for Mriganka Sur: The basic research origin of the first approved drug to treat Rett syndrome

March 10, 2023
On March 10 the FDA approved Trofinetide, a drug based on the protein IGF-1, as the first drug available to treat Rett syndrome. The original research showing that IGF-1 could treat Rett syndrome was published by MIT in 2009.

Immune & Inflamed

March 1, 2023
Research Feature
Neuroscientists are finding that immune system activity within the brain and the body has important impacts on mental health and behavior

Picower Fellows discuss the social context of their science

February 14, 2023
Picower People
Young neuroscientists contributed their perspectives as the MIT Museum works to create a potential ‘Center for Neuroscience & Society’

Sparse, small, but diverse neural connections help make perception reliable, efficient

February 2, 2023
Research Findings
First detailed mapping and modeling of thalamus inputs onto visual cortex neurons show brain leverages “wisdom of the crowd” to process sensory information

Researchers map brain cell changes in Alzheimer’s disease

February 2, 2023
Study reveals key cell structures and gene expression changes near amyloid plaques and tau tangles in mouse brain tissue

How Huntington’s disease affects different neurons

January 20, 2023
Research Findings
A new study identifies cells that are the most vulnerable within a brain structure involved in mood and movement

Self-assembling proteins can store cellular “memories”

January 10, 2023
Research Findings
Using these engineered proteins, researchers can record histories that reveal when certain genes are activated or how cells respond to a drug.

New technologies revealing cross-cutting breakdowns in Alzheimer’s disease

January 2, 2023
Research Findings
‘Single-cell profiling’ is helping neuroscientists see how disease affects major brain cell types and identify common, potentially targetable pathways