Neuroscience

Parts of brain can switch functionsIn people born blind, brain regions that usually process vision can tackle language.

What blame can tell us about autismNeuroscientists find evidence that autistic patients have trouble understanding other people’s intentions.

Illuminating the brainNeuroscientists’ new technique can stimulate brain cells, then reveal how those neurons influence the rest of the brain.

Understanding the anesthetized brainNeuroscientist Emery Brown hopes to shed light on a longstanding medical mystery: how general anesthesia works.

A new way to evaluate dyslexiaNeuroscientists show that brain scans can predict whether children’s reading ability will improve.

When gender isn’t written all over one’s faceNeuroscientists find that the same face may look male or female, depending on where it appears in a person’s field of view.

Heading off traumaStudy suggests adding a face shield to military helmets would help more soldiers avoid blast-induced brain injuries.

Brain control

Force of habitNew study shows that costs and rewards of behavior help the brain form optimal habits.

Younger brains are easier to rewireStudy of blind patients supports the idea that there is a period early in a person’s development when brain regions can switch functions.

Nerve-cell regeneration quest is fast trackedMicrochip technology rapidly identifies compounds for regrowing nerves, in live animals.

Feng Zhang, expert on genetic control of brain function, to join BCS faculty

Lunch with a Laureate: Robert HorvitzPresented by the MIT Museum and the Cambridge Science Festival

Proteins linked to longevity also linked to Alzheimer’sSirtuins appear to control production of the devastating protein fragments that form plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

Protein linked to aging may boost memory and learning abilityDiscovery could lead to new drugs to fight Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.

Postdoc awarded Otto Hahn medal of the Max Planck SocietyHonored for thesis on neural correlates of visual illusions

Guoping Feng, expert on synapses and psychiatric disorders, joins MIT faculty

McGovern Institute video wins Telly AwardGiven top honors in fundraising category

Multitasking is no problem for these brain cellsScientists find that neurons in the brain’s planning center can handle more than one kind of job.

Earl Miller wins MERIT award from National Institute of Mental HealthNational Institute of Mental Health

Moral judgments can be altered ... by magnetsBy disrupting brain activity in a particular region, neuroscientists can sway people’s views of moral situations.

NIMH Director Tom Insel on AutismHosted by the Simons Initiative on Autism and the Brain at MIT

No harm, no foulStudy of moral judgment finds that patients with a specific brain defect lack the emotional reaction necessary to find fault with attempted murderers

A change of mindOne protein appears to control neurons’ ability to react to new experiences, MIT scientists show.

McGovern Institute to acquire new brain imaging technology

New technique offers a more detailed view of brain activity‘Cleverly designed' MRI sensors detect dopamine, offering a high-resolution look at what’s happening inside the brain.

McGovern Institute honors pioneers in neurogeneticsThe McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT announced today that Lily Jan and Yuh-Nung Jan will be the joint winners of the 2010 Edward M. Scolnick Prize in Neuroscience.

Mapping the brainMIT scientists are making computers smart enough to see the connections between the brain's neurons