A saggital cross section of a mouse brain is richly stained in three distinct colors in three distinct areas: yellow in the very front and about halfway toward the back; green in a large area toward the front and cyan across wide areas, especially the cerebellum in the back
January 24, 2025
MIT method enables ultrafast protein labeling of tens of millions of densely packed cells in organ-scale tissues
Emery N. Brown stands in front of a wall. Superimposed on the image next to him is a picture of the front of the National Medal of Science, which depicts a man kneeling and drawing an abstract character in the ground next to him as he contemplates an object.
January 3, 2025
Emery N. Brown, innovative neuroscientist, statistician and anesthesiologist earns National Medal of Science
Two colorful arrays of dots are side by side. The left array, labeled session 1, is in a vaguely circular shape. The right array, labeled session 5, is in a structure similar to a sideways T, which is the actual shape of the maze that mice ran through.
December 10, 2024
Study suggests how the brain, with sleep, learns meaningful maps of spaces
A 3D cartoon of a mouse jumping around on a landscape of white hexagonal pillars. The mouse's trajectory through time is noted with a wiggly blue line. The mouse wears electronics on the back of its head and a small thin wire comes up out of them.
November 13, 2024
Open technology platform enables new versatility for neuroscience research with more naturalistic behavior
A cartoon shows a head in profile split between a gray region at the front and a green region at the back. In the back is a bell and progressively larger dotted white circles propagate outward from the bell toward the front of the head.
October 7, 2024
The way sensory prediction changes under anesthesia tells us how conscious cognition works

Consciousness

June 12, 2024
Research Feature
Emerging evidence shows how brain waves help to knit our internal thoughts and external awareness together into an organized, unified whole

With programmable pixels, novel sensor improves imaging of neural activity

June 7, 2024
Research Findings
New camera chip design allows for optimizing each pixel’s timing to maximize signal to noise ratio when tracking real-time visual indicator of neural voltage

Microscope system sharpens scientists’ view of neural circuit connections

June 4, 2024
Research Findings
A newly described technology improves the clarity and speed of using two-photon microscopy to image synapses in the live brain

Study models how ketamine’s molecular action leads to its effects on the brain

May 20, 2024
Research Findings
New research addresses a gap in understanding how ketamine’s impact on individual neurons leads to pervasive and profound changes in brain network function.

How the brain is flexible enough for a complex world (without being thrown into chaos)

May 13, 2024
Research Findings
Many neurons exhibit “mixed selectivity.” They can integrate multiple inputs and participate in multiple computations. Mechanisms such as oscillations and neuromodulators recruit their participation and tune them to focus on the relevant information.

Autism symptoms sometimes improve amid fever, so a research team will study how to make that a therapy

May 8, 2024
New Research
With support from The Marcus Foundation, an MIT neuroscientist and a Harvard Medical School immunologist will study the “fever effect” in an effort to devise therapies that mimic its beneficial effects.

In the brain, bursts of beta rhythms implement cognitive control

April 23, 2024
Research Findings
Bursts of brain rhythms with “beta” frequencies control where and when neurons in the cortex process sensory information and plan responses. Studying these bursts would improve understanding of cognition and clinical disorders, researchers write.

Paper: To understand cognition—and its dysfunction—neuroscientists must learn its rhythms

April 17, 2024
Research Findings
Thought emerges and is controlled in the brain via the rhythmically and spatially coordinated activity of millions of neurons, scientists argue in a new article. Understanding cognition and its disorders requires studying it at that level.

Tsai presents non-invasive stimulation study at Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress

March 27, 2024
Picower Events
Alana Down Syndrome Center team recruiting volunteers to test whether 40Hz light and sound stimulation produces cognitive benefits.

Plasticity and place: Study shows a key neural mechanism of remembering locations

March 25, 2024
Research Findings
Scientists have now observed how the brain’s place cells stave off inhibitory input in the process of establishing their tuning to specific locations. The study shows that signaling by endocannabinoids is required.

Movement disorder ALS and cognitive disorder FTLD show strong molecular overlaps, new study shows

March 22, 2024
Research Findings
Single-cell gene expression patterns in the brain’s motor and frontal cortex, and evidence from follow-up experiments, reveal many shared cellular and molecular similarities that could be targeted for potential treatment

Livestreaming the Brain

March 15, 2024
Research Feature
To learn how the brain works, Picower Institute labs are advancing technologies and methods to watch it live as it happens