In Rett syndrome, leaky brain blood vessels traced to microRNA
MIT neuroscientists have found that either of two genetic mutations that cause Rett syndrome undermine the structural integrity of developing blood vessels. By showing that the problem derives from overexpression of a microRNA, the new study points to a p
As worms and jellyfish wriggle, new AI tools track their neurons
Three new neural network-based tools enable fast, accurate alignment and annotation of images even in very wiggly subjects. The tools might offer a way to automate cell tracking in other imaging datasets, too.
Sloan Fellowship will help Fan advance technology to study how brain circuits change amid learning
Linlin Fan uses innovative optical tools to precisely investigate how connections change among neurons during memory formation. With Sloan Foundation support, she plans to give the technology a significant upgrade
Fragile X study uncovers brainwave biomarker bridging humans and mice
A collaboration centered at MIT discovered that mice modeling the autism spectrum disorder fragile X syndrome exhibit the same pattern of differences in low-frequency waves as human patients, identifying a new biomarker for treatment studies
Opening a new window on the brainstem, AI algorithm enables tracking of its vital white matter pathways
Filled with vitally important neural fibers, the brainstem has been hard for brain imaging technologies to dissect. New software reliably and finely resolves eight distinct nerve bundles in live diffusion MRI scans, revealing signs of injury or disease
How a unique class of neurons may set the table for brain development
A new MIT study finds that somatostatin-expressing neurons follow a unique trajectory when forming connections in the brain’s visual cortex that may help establish the conditions needed for sensory experience to refine circuits.
Biology-based brain model matches animals in learning, enables new discovery
A new ‘biomimetic’ model of brain circuits and function at multiple scales produced naturalistic dynamics and learning, and even identified curious behavior by some neurons that had gone unnoticed in real-brain data.
To flexibly organize thought, the brain makes use of space
In a new study, MIT researchers tested their theory of Spatial Computing, which holds that the brain recruits and controls ad hoc groups of neurons for cognitive tasks by applying brain waves to patches of the cortex.
A Picower Institute lab is on a mission to discover how cells mishandle lipid molecules in Alzheimer’s disease and is using that knowledge to develop treatments.
Prefrontal cortex reaches back into the brain to shape how other regions function
A new MIT study illustrates how areas within the brain’s executive control center tailor their messages in specific circuits with other brain regions to influence them with information about behavior and internal feelings.
Too sick to socialize: How the brain and immune system promote staying in bed
MIT researchers have discovered how an immune system molecule triggers neurons in a specific brain circuit to shut down social behavior in mice modeling infection.