Cognition and Motivation

Picower Institute scientists study behaviors and cognitive processes including learning, memory, emotion, reasoning and consciousness. To learn more about these or other areas of inquiry, select them under Research Topics and you'll find relevant Picower people, discoveries and events.

September 27, 2023

Research Findings

In C. elegans worms, a single neuron named HSN uses multiple chemicals and connections to orchestrate egg-laying and locomotion over the course of several minutes

September 14, 2023

Research Findings

Neurotypical humans readily optimize performance in ‘reversal learning’ games, but while mice learn the winning strategy, they refuse to commit to it, a new study shows. The research provides a mathematical way to track the rodents’ more mixed tactics

September 14, 2023

Neural activity during sleep has a signature structure that the brain uses to make profound improvements in our thinking and wellness

August 21, 2023

Research Findings

MIT researchers model and map how neurons across the tiny brain of a C. elegans worm encode its behaviors, revealing many new insights about the robustness and flexibility of its nervous system

August 3, 2023

Picower People

The paths three graduate students forged to the same Picower Institute lab illustrate the value of participating in the MIT Summer Research Program in Biology and Neuroscience.

July 17, 2023

Research Findings

Distinctive EEG patterns indicate when a patient’s state of unconsciousness under general anesthesia is more profound than necessary.

July 10, 2023

Research Findings

New research provides evidence that electric fields shared among neurons via “ephaptic coupling” provide the coordination necessary to assemble the multi-region neural ensembles (“engrams”) that represent remembered information.

May 22, 2023

Research Findings

Brain waves carry information. A new “Cytoelectric Coupling” hypothesis posits that fluctuating electric fields optimize brain network efficiency and stability by shaping the brain’s molecular infrastructure.

May 15, 2023

With full genetic control and visibility into neural activity and behavior, MIT scientists map out chemical’s role in behavior

April 12, 2023

Research Findings

The peptide blocks a hyperactive brain enzyme that contributes to the neurodegeneration seen in Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

April 10, 2023

Research Findings

Blood flow induced by visual stimulation drives the flow of cerebrospinal fluid

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.

Study shows how a single neuron’s parallel outputs can coordinate many aspects of behavior

Study decodes surprising approach mice take in learning

The Sleeping Brain

Cracking the code that relates brain and behavior in a simple animal

Summer research opportunity can be a springboard to advanced studies

Study finds tracking brain waves could reduce post-op complications

Brain networks encoding memory come together via electric fields, study finds

Mind to molecules: Does brain’s electrical encoding of information ‘tune’ sub-cellular structure?

From molecular to whole-brain scale in a simple animal, study reveals serotonin’s effects

A new peptide may hold potential as an Alzheimer’s treatment

Fluid flow in the brain can be manipulated by sensory stimulation

Studying consciousness without affecting it