Two panels show round cerebral organoids, which appear as a dense tangle of magenta and cyan strands speckled with bright yellow dots. The one on the right, labeled "+Gsk3b inhibition" has much more of the pink strands than the one on the left, labeled "APOE4 myelinoid"
October 15, 2026
How the biggest Alzheimer’s risk gene disrupts the process of insulating neurons
An illustration depicts a head in profile with a speak bubble containing a check symbol next to an x symbol. The background is pink
September 9, 2026
How the brain keeps its options straight at decision time
September 1, 2026
Atlas of the brain’s striatum could guide researchers to new drug treatments
Three brain-shaped speak bubbles are black but full of white concentric lines that appear as ripples or waves in complex patterns
August 19, 2026
Cognition and consciousness arise from analog computations, says new theory
a cartoon of a brain with cogs and gears
August 17, 2026
Flexible brain circuits can switch between different tasks

MIT names Emery N. Brown an "Institute Professor," its highest faculty honor

July 20, 2026
Picower People
Brown, a renowned neuroscientist, anesthesiologist and statistician, has made numerous seminal contributions to basic science and clinical care alike. He joins two other professors in earning the honor this year

Picower Professor Susumu Tonegawa, renowned molecular biologist and Nobel laureate, dies at 86

July 15, 2026
Picower People
Tonegawa made landmark discoveries about how the immune system generates antibody diversity and how the brain forms memories.

Electric fields help guide neural activity, even from moment to moment

July 7, 2026
Research Findings
A new study adds evidence that electric fields in the brain help to organize and shape underlying neural activity via “ephaptic coupling.”

Symposium speakers examine how understanding the brain could improve the functioning of democracy

June 2, 2026
Picower Events
Combining insights from the debates of American civics to the discoveries of neuroscience labs, experts honed in on ways that brain science research could inform efforts to improve political participation and dialogue in a polarized age

Myriam Heiman named the director of The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory

May 26, 2026
Picower People
Heiman, who studies neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, will lead the institute beginning July 1.

Takato Honda receives MIT Infinite Expansion Award

May 22, 2026
Picower People
Picower Institute Research Scientist honored for studies, mentoring and recently discovering a new marine species

The rules neurons follow to make sense of what we see

May 14, 2026
Research Findings
Brain cells take in many signals through thousands of circuit connections. A new study in mice discerns the rules that turn what could be a cacophony of inputs into a functional arrangement for neurons that process vision.

MIT-based team releases first AI foundation model for Alzheimer's prevention

April 26, 2026
Research Feature
FINGERS-7B integrates lifestyle, clinical, genomic, and proteomic data from tens of thousands of at-risk individuals to discover multi-omic biomarkers for preclinical Alzheimer's

How neurons sense bacteria in the gut

April 20, 2026
Research Findings
Neural interaction with bacteria, e.g. in the gut microbiome, has important effects on brains of animals from worms to people. A new study investigates how neurons sense bacteria by revealing, in nematodes, the bacterial signals that a key neuron detects

Alana Down Syndrome Center symposium highlights studies from brain to heart

April 14, 2026
Picower Events
Seven researchers from MIT, Rutgers University and the University of São Paulo shared the research they are doing to help people with trisomy 21 throughout their lifespan.

Rett syndrome study highlights potential for personalized treatments

April 14, 2026
Research Findings
Using advanced human cell cultures to model Rett syndrome, MIT researchers tracked how two different mutations alter neural circuit development and how each could be addressed with distinct potential therapeutics

A complete rethinking of how our brains use categories to make sense of the world

April 13, 2026
Research Findings
Challenging the classic view, two cognitive scientists argue in a new review that categorization is not a late, specialized stage of sensory processing. Instead, it is a core function operating at every level, anticipating bodily needs and motor plans.